Never Ending Pain
by sportzgirl16
Summary: Max faces a struggle when the one person she loves is taken from her. She must overcome her anger and hatred of Manticore before her desire for revenge consumes her. Meanwhile, Zack struggles to help her overcome her pain as he tries to win her love.
1. The Dream

Max's Perspective

I'm heading over to Logan's penthouse, he said it was important and I needed to come right away. I was hoping to spend the day just hanging with the girls at crash. He always manages to blow my plans with his Eyes Only missions. And to make things worse, it's raining out and some idiot managed to splash mud all over me. I just hope he has dinner ready, I'm starving. I don't care what it is as long as it's good. 

As I get closer to the penthouse, I see black vans and all kinds of army men. I sure hope this wasn't what he was paging me about. The next thing that jumps into my mind is, Lydecker. This can't be good. Lydecker had a price on Eyes Only's head. I immediately run to the back of the penthouse and climb up the fire escape, avoiding any attention for the moment. I know if anyone sees me I'm as good as dead. fear starts to set in, I'm afraid that I am to late to help; however, I manage to ignore the possibility that Lydecker has already captured Logan and that I might be next. I pick the lock and enter the building. I walk quietly down the hall trying to avoid any attention.

When I reach Logan's door, I notice that it has been forced open. There is scratch marks all around the doorknob. Fear starts to set in as I quietly open the door and enter the room. I am afraid for both Logan and myself. I know I can't get him out of here if something goes wrong, and I know I will probably not get myself out of this either, but I have to help Logan. I don't know what I would do with out him. 

I hear voices coming from the kitchen, so I head in that direction. Before I get there I hear a gunshot. Expecting the worst, I rush into the room. My heart stops when I see Lydecker standing with a gun pointed at Logan's lifeless body lying on the floor. Lydecker looks up and me and says, "I told you I'd kill Eyes Only when I found him." At that moment I swore to myself that I would kill Lydecker and destroy Manticore, and I'm going to start now. I rush at Lydecker only to be shot in the back. I fall to the floor and look up at his evil grin just before everything goes black.


	2. The Next Morning

Max's Perspective

I woke up crying. Tinga and Johndy immediately ran to my side. They do the best they can to comfort me and understand what happened, but they weren't there. They didn't hear there true love be killed and realize that if they would have gotten there sooner he could have been saved. And then to wonder why he was killed and they lived. 

I have had that dream every time I've slept since the incident. It's been three months and I still don't know why Lydecker left me at Logan's penthouse that night. I probably never will. Maybe it was guilt, or maybe he knew he did more damage to me that night than Manticore ever could have. 

Manticore is no longer my fear. It is my reason for living, my obsession in a way. The thought that I can have revenge is about the only thing that is keeping me going. He should have killed me when he had the chance. One of the X-5's greatest allies has been killed. Now it's time for war. We will become the soldiers he never expected us to become. We will destroy Manticore and anything else associated with it. 

Zack came in the room and brought me back to reality. I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't been there in the morning when I woke up. I had always thought of Zack as our leader, but that morning, he was a friend.

"Max, ... Max" 

I looked up realizing Zack had spoken to me.

"You can't keep zoning out like that little sister" he said.

He was right, as usual. My focus should be on finding Lydecker, and destroying Manticore.

Zack's Perspective

I have to say, I've got a lot of respect for Max. She's the one that brought all of us together to take Manticore down. Even if it was under bad circumstances, it's still the smartest thing we've done so far. It's a lot better than running. 

I walk into the room and see her sitting there crying. She must have had another nightmare. She knows I came in, but makes no attempt to move. She continues to sit there staring off into space crying to Tinga and Johndy. Not that I blame her after what she went through.

I just wish like hell she would get over it and let her pain end. She's been like this for too long. Sometimes I think the only thing that is keeping her going is the thought of taking down Lydecker. And to think I probably put that idea in her head, ... and then, I just happened to be there when all this was happening. I feel partly responsible for what she is going through.

***** 

I was going over to Logan's to see if he could help me find Jace. Max was the last one to talk to her, so I figured Logan would know something. Max always tells him everything. And I don't like being out of contact with one of my siblings for so long. I figured this would be a good place to start looking. When I got to the penthouse, I saw Lydecker's men carrying a body out of the building. My instincts were telling me to leave it alone and not to get involved. But after Lydecker's men left, I some how made my way to the building. I don't know how I ended up there, or even why I went inside. It was probably just to make sure Eyes Only got all is documents destroyed. I'm glad I did though. I saw Max lying in the middle of the floor, shot with a dart. At first I thought it was a trap. There is no way Lydecker would leave without her. After waiting in the corner for what seemed like an hour, Max started to cry out for Logan. I rushed to her side to calm her. I pulled out the dart the she was shot with. It was just a tranquilizer, and there was no evidence of a recording device or a tracking device planted on her. For some reason she was no longer top priority on Lydecker's hit list. I sat there on the floor holding her. I thought to myself, "my beautiful baby sister, what has happened here." I don't know what would make Lydecker not take her with him. I knew I would have to get to the bottom of this, but now was not the time. I had no clue what Maxie was going to do when she woke up. I wasn't really sure I wanted to know what reality would bring her. But I couldn't leave her like this, I just couldn't.

*****


	3. Zack's Feelings

Zack's Perspective

"Max, little sister, ... Max" I hollered at her. She looks up at me with so pain in her eyes, I have to look away. I don't want her to see that I am feeling some of her pain. When ever she looks at me like that I feel so guilty. I start to wonder if I might have been able to do something. "You have to stop zoning out like that little sister" I tell her. It's more for my benefit that hers. I've been zoning out a lot lately too. It has been a lot harder to focus since that night I found her. I'm supposed to be the leader, the strong one, but what happened in the morning when she woke up really struck a nerve.

*****  
Max was disoriented and talking to me like I was Logan.  
"Logan, I had the worst dream last night. I dreamed that Lydecker shot you and I didn't get there soon enough to stop him."  
I felt so bad for her. I didn't want to tell her the truth. I wanted to let her believe it was just a dream, but I couldn't let her do that. I had to tell her the truth. I spoke to her as softly as I could, "I'm sorry little sister".  
She immediately jumped up, now alert of her surroundings. She gave me a look of disbelief. "I'm sorry, they took him last night" I said. I couldn't look at her; I didn't want to see her pain. Surprisingly all she expressed was anger.  
She started yelling at me "It's not true, you're trying to trick me into going to Canada with you."

"No I'm not, come here Maxie."

"You're lying to me. Logan went to get breakfast. He'll be back any minuet."

She didn't want to believe what she knew to be true. I'm not sure when she started crying instead of yelling, all I know is that I had her in my arms. "It's not your fault Maxie, there was nothing you could have done, your alive that's what is important." It started to hit her really hard.

"I never got a chance to tell him how much I love him. I can't live without him. How am I supposed to go on without him" she cried to me.  
I didn't know what to do. She had so much self-pity. I thought Logan was bad, but she is so much worse right now. She needs to move on to what is important, staying away from Manticore and keeping her freedom. Which means we needed to get moving, I don't know how long it will be until Lydecker comes back, he's not one for leaving loose ends. I didn't know what to do. I have never dealt with an emotional breakdown before. I don't know how long I stood there with her and listening to her cry about how she wanted to end her life. At this point I was starting to get a little annoyed. I'm not sure if I was annoyed because of her self-pity, or because she wouldn't listen to me and let me get her away from the penthouse. 

That's when I brought up the idea of revenge and that seemed to sustain her for the moment, or at least until we could get to safety. We quickly rigged the penthouse to blow and took off running away from the penthouse and the bad memory of the previous night. I hoped that by the time we got away this would all be forgotten. 

KABOOM

*****

Max could have easily been killed and taken away along with Logan. If I wouldn't have been there, ... I don't even want to think of what she would have done if I she wouldn't have woken up to find me. I didn't realize how much I cared about her until then, until the thought crossed my mind that she might have gotten killed. I'm not going to give anyone else the chance to take her away form me. Manticore or Lydecker are the only things that could do that, so I'm helping her get revenge. I probably shouldn't have brought up the revenge thing, because now that's all she thinks about. It's really sad to see her like this. Taking down Manticore will be good for two things, it will ease her pain, and destroy the only other thing that could threaten her. I will support her and do anything I can to help her. I have to; I love her.


	4. The Begning

Max's Perspective

"What did you want Zack?" He seems like he has really been distracted lately. I wonder what's so important that he isn't focusing. This isn't like him at all.

"I've got a lead on Jace. One of my contacts said he saw someone that fit her description in Los Angelus 

Johndy and Tinga look up a bit surprised. They were about ready to give up on her. It would be great if she could help us and all, but she has a baby to worry about. She probably isn't going to want to go crusading around and leave a baby behind.

Johndy and Tinga agree to go and track Jace down while Zack and I stay here and continue to formulate a plan. Our plan is pretty much good to go; Zack just likes to go over it time and time again. I don't know whether he is trying to assure himself that it is going to work, or just make sure we know what's up. 

I look across the room and see Johndy and Tinga packing a few things. On her way out, Tinga comes over and gives me a hug to make sure I'll be okay. I assure her I'll be fine. "I've got my big brother here, ... don't worry about me." She gives me a look that means I better be right, then they are out the door. They'll be back in a couple of days whether they find Jace or not. Our plan to take down Manticore is somewhat dependent on timing. We go in during the monthly staff change and hope to pass off as new staff members. It seems simple enough. We find Brinn and then blow some things up. Same old, same old. 

The plan is good; however, it depends a lot on variables. If the timing isn't just right we could get caught. Now that would end our fun real fast. Damn, ... now I'm starting to sound like Zack, or at least the overly concerned Zack that used to bug me about going to Canada with him. 

He has really changed over the past couple of months. It's almost like his out look on life is different.

I look up at Zack and he has a look of concern on his face again. Well, when doesn't he have that look on his face. I probably should say something to him but last time I did I got yelled at and he didn't talk to me for a couple days. I don't know what his delio is but it's really getting annoying. 

I decide I better try to talk to him again, "Zack what's up? You need to talk about something?" As usual, he rolls his eyes. He walks over to another table, the one where the Manticore floor plan is. Leave it to Zack to change the subject like that. It looks like he's all business now.

I follow him over to the table hoping to get some information out of him. He starts going over the plan again. I nod my head and pretend to be listening. Really I'm trying to figure out how to initiate a conversation with him. I'm trying to figure out what's on his mind. After Zack is done going over the plan, he asks if I have any questions. I say, "Just one, when are you going to tell me what's bugging you?" As expected, he gets really annoyed and walks away from me. Instead of just letting him leave I follow. He walks out side and sits on the stone closest to the edge of the cliff. 

The place we're staying is beautiful. There is a cliff that looks out over the ocean and thick forest all around. No one would even know this place existed unless they were looking for it real hard. I walk up behind Zack quietly and ask, "Why won't you talk to me big brother?" He just sits there in silence looking out over the water. I wish I could get him to tell me what is on his mind. 

A few minutes later, he motions for me to join him. So I sit down beside him. For a second he acts like he is going to say something, then looks out over the water once again. I guess he knows that this time I'm not taking his silence for an answer. 

I wish I knew what was going on inside his head. It hurts me that he doesn't trust me enough to tell me what is going on. But at least I can offer him some comfort; I continue to sit there with him in silence and pretty soon I'm also looking out over the water staring into the nothingness. 

I'm really surprised at how calming it is just to sit here. I could stay here all day. It's so beautiful; I now understand why it is Zack's favorite spot. I turn to Zack; he puts his arm around me and starts talking.

Tinga's Perspective

I feel so bad for Max, I know I have no idea what she is going through, but I try to understand. I do the best I can to offer her comfort. She is still so afraid; she let's the nightmares continue to haunt her. I am afraid for her and I don't know how to help. 

As I see Zack walk into the room, my thoughts wonder to how strange he's been acting. 

I think to myself, "What the hell is up with Zack." He has been acting really strange toward Max lately. I know he is worried about her; we all are. But he's letting it get to him and that is definitely not the Zack I used to know. I know I wasn't filled in on everything; all I know is Logan is dead and Max feels responsible. Some how I can't help but wonder if something else happened too, something between Zack and Max. I just feel like I'm missing the bigger picture.

After a few moments of staring at Max, Zack walks up and says he has a lead on Jace. That's the best news I've heard in a long time. I'm up in a second. I was really hoping we would find her. We could use all the help we can get. I excitedly state, "I'll go after her!" Johndy is right there with me as usual. I'm really glad about that; we work great as a team. We grab our lock picks and a few daggers just in case, then we're ready to go. We start to leave, but I feel I need to check to make sure Max will be okay. I couldn't in good conscious leave her if she wasn't alright. I walk over to her and give her a hug making sure she'll be fine. "You going to be okay?"

"Yeah I've got my big brother here, ... don't worry about me."

I'm still going to worry about her, but that puts my mind to rest. I've just got to keep telling myself that Zack won't let anything happen to her, even if he does look a bit distracted. I look over to Johndy signaling to her I'm ready to go. A few minutes later, we're out the door and on our way.

It's such a beautiful day out; the sun is shining and there isn't a cloud in the sky. We hop onto our motorcycles and head for the first check point. The ride seems to last forever. My thoughts drift from Max to Jace and then to Brinn. I worry about Max so much, I feel sorry for her. I lost my husband to a car accident a few years ago, after I escaped from Manticore. I guess it helps knowing that I have a son out there somewhere that loves me, even if I have no clue where he is. I know someone loves me and cares about me outside of my brothers and sisters. She knows what it is like to love and be loved in return, she should be happy that a least she was able to expierence a little happiness in her life. 

And Jace, she knows what love is too. She has a child. It's wonderful to wake up to a little version of yourself each morning. It always made me feel like it was worth it to keep running, and it didn't matter what happened in my past because I had a family that I could call my own. I would love to be able to help Jace raise her baby. 

Brinn, poor Brinn. She had to go back to Mnticore in order to save her life. I don't even want to know what Lydecker is doing to her. It is probably terrible. He could be torturing her and mind washing her. 

I think to myself, "I'm going to get you out of there girl. Just hang on a little longer."


	5. The First Check Point

Tinga's Perspective

Finally, we're at the first checkpoint. I sure hope we can talk our way through this. We slow our motorcycles down and come to a stop just before the main check area. I figured that we would make them come to us, that way we can see what defenses they have. Let's just hope we can avoid a fight. I'm not in the mood to have to deal with a bunch of idiots, but if they deserve it, they are going to get a beating.

The guards walk out towards us as soon as they see us stop. I make a mental note, three guards total, only two with loaded guns, and wow the safety's are still on. I guess two girls don't look like much of a threat. We'll be able to take them easy if we have to. The guard demands to see our sector passes. 

"You know what, I left mine at home." I say. 

Johndy adds, "Your not going to make us go all the way back and get them are you?"

The guard smirks and says, "I'll be nice if you do me a favor."

Well this is my cue. I slide off my bike ready for a fight. Johndy stays on her motorcycle to waiting for my signal. The other guys with the guns start moving in thinking that this is going to be an easy win. If they weren't so annoying, I'd almost feel sorry for them.

"Alright scumbag, you're going down!"

The two guards with guns, pull them out and turn off the safety. Johndy immediately jumped off her motorcycle in their direction. She got to them before they knew what hit them. She throws a swift punch to the face of the first guard while kicking the second head first into a pole. They'll be out cold for hours. I turn around and see the guard that was trying to get some action running to call for backup. 

"Want a little help." I run after him and kick him into the building that he is making a run for. He crashes through the wall and lands unconscious. 

"Now that's the way to clean up a mess." 

I run back to my motorcycle. Johndy is searching the guard for something. When she sees me coming, she jumps on her motorcycle ready to go. "Let's get out of here girl, we've got a long ways to go still."

We speed off into the afternoon sun. Only one more checkpoint. This time I think we'll go through at night. We can sneak up on the guards, knock them out and steal a few sector passes. That should make the trip home a lot easier.


	6. True Feelings

#Zack's Perspective 

I walk out side quite annoyed at Max and start thinking. "Who did she think she was to question what is going through my head." Damn that girl annoys me at times. I start replaying the last ten minutes. I try to figure out why Max is being so pushy all of a sudden. Why the hell does she care what is going through my head? 

When I announced to everyone that I found a lead on Jace, it seemed to raise the morale quite a bit. Tinga and Johndy were really excited. They were ready to go and out the door in a few minutes.   
However, Max said something to Tinga that kind of annoyed me. Maybe I just took it wrong. I don't know. She said, "I've got my big brother here. Everything will be fine. ... don't worry about me." Maybe it was the way she said it, but it sounded like she wasn't so sure I could protect her. It sounded like she doubted my ability to function properly.   
I think to myself, "I'll show her how well I can concentrate. There is nothing she needs to be concerned about!"   
Then she keeps asking what is wrong. Doesn't she ever give up. 

I decide to go over the plan one more time. I was sure that would sidetrack her off of the subject. She just stood there nodding her head. She probably didn't even hear a word I said. When I asked her if she had any questions, her question was "When are you going to tell me what's bugging you?" Damn she is annoying.   


Then I figured that if I just left she would let me go. She usually does, but this time was different. She followed me outside and watched me sit down. I knew when she walked up behind me she wasn't going to leave without an explanation. It seemed that she wanted some answers. I motioned for her to sit beside me. I'm not quite sure why. I knew she wasn't going anywhere, so I guess she might as well be sitting over here with me.   


All I wanted to let myself get lost staring out at the waves. And for some reason she couldn't let that happen. 

For once in my life, I feel like I need to let go of everything. I want to tell Max the truth.   
I don't know how I can tell her though. How can I tell someone that thinks of me as a brother that I love her. She knows something is different between us. Otherwise she wouldn't be so damn annoying. Maybe she is trying to figure things out too.   


I notice that she is looking out over the water, lost in the void. I look at her face, her beauty. They really did do a nice job on her. She turns to me; I put my arm around her. I start telling her about what happened to me after the escape. I can't tell her about how I feel right now. As much as I want to, I still know this is not the right time. I do know, someday soon, she will know my true feelings. 

Max sits there, in my arms, listening to me. I feel really close to her right now. She smells good, her hair is soft. She is my temptress. But she is also, in a way, my sister. Right now, she is probably just happy that I'm talking and not shutting her off, or at least that's what I'm hoping. Pushing her away is the last thing I want to do. 

Max's Perspective

I'm glad Zack has decided to talk to me. This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I was thinking of a heart to heart, but it will do. I'm finding out about Zack's past. I have always wondered what had happened to him in the years since our escape. I guess now I know. We sit and exchange stories until the sun starts to set. 

I feel like I have gotten a little closer to him. This is the first time he has really opened up to me. I know he didn't tell me what was bugging him, but I know he will eventually. He's opened up to me this much; I'd like to think he will open up a bit more. 

After the sun sets, we get up to walk inside. Johndy and Tinga should be almost to Los Angelus by now. Zack is currently looking for some wine, and I really feel like going for a ride on my motorcycle. 

I tell Zack, "I'll be back later."

He looks up a bit confused and then says, "Later."

He was probably planning on having a nice evening, just the two of us. Well, I've had enough quality time for one day. I need to give my motorcycle some attention too. 

I walk outside and hop on my motorcycle. I speed off into the night thinking about Zack. He's really not that much of an @ss. He just tries to hard to protect us. He doesn't want us to get hurt, so he thinks he needs to keep us from the things that cause us pain. It makes since in a way. 

I hated him when he tried to keep me away from Logan and discourage me from being happy. I know now that he was just trying to keep me from getting hurt. But that's all over.

I guess that if we never have a chance to be happy, then we never have a chance to get that happiness taken away from us. It's true and all, but I wouldn't trade anything for the moments I spent with Logan. I loved him. I was able to let go of my past, and experience life for how it was meant to be. I had a horrible childhood, but I had a wonderful four years with Logan to make up for it. Those are four years I wouldn't trade for anything. 


	7. The Second Check Point

Tinga's Perspective

We reach the next checkpoint just before the sun starts to set. We stop just out of sight. Johndy pulls out one sector pass. 

"I got this off the guard back there." 

I think to myself, that's one less that we're going to have to get. 

I say, "Nice Johndy! We need to get three more." 

Johndy puts the sector pass back in her jacket pocket. We quietly park our motorcycles just outside the checkpoint in the bushes. No one should see them here this late. We circle around in the forest. I make a quick note. There are three guards again; they all have guns this time. They appear to be playing a card game of some sort. There is a pile of money in the middle. I think to myself, "I sure could use some of that." 

I make hand signals to Johndy telling her to continue circling the area. She runs off into the woods; she will go around back and end up in the main area so she can for any sector passes. Then she will come through to the front of the building as backup if I need her. I should be fine though. There is only three of them. 

Now it's time to complete my part of the mission. 

I move in so I can take out the guards and search them. As I get closer to the guards, there is a strong smell of beer. They have probably been drinking for hours. The ground around them is littered with beer cans and there is still one six-pack that has not been opened. I decide to just walk up and see what they do. I step out of the shadows.  
"What are you boys doing?"

They all look up a bit confused. They are probably trying to figure out whether or not I'm there boss and here to nail there @sses to the wall. I walk up behind the guard closest to me and use a pressure point to knock him out. He falls toward the table ruining the card game. 

The guards get all pissed off because I ruined there little game. Poor them. I waste no time. I jump up on the table and kick the gun out away from one of the guards. The other guard gets a shot off. I duck to my right as the bullet goes by. I laugh to myself; I probably wouldn't have had to move. It was a really bad shot. I kick the guard that doesn't have a gun in the head to knock him out. Just as the other one is starting to shoot again. I duck to the left this time as I kick the gun out of his hand. It flies up into the air and I catch it. I aim it at him and yell, "Give me your sector pass."

He reluctantly gives it to me. I hit him in the head with the gun as I jump off the table. He should be out for a while. I quickly grab the sector passes from the other unconscious guards. I hear a loud crash. I look up as Johndy kicks down the door and comes out of the main room. She flashes the sector passes that she was able to pick up. It looked like she had three. I make a quick note that would give us 7 sector passes. We run back to where we left our motorcycles. We start them up and speed through the checkpoint that looks as if it has been abandoned. 

Another successful mission. Next stop, Los Angelus!!


	8. The Seizure

#Zack's Perspective

When we were walking back into the cabin, I felt like I was a lot closer to Max. I was glad I opened up to her a little bit. I decided to look for a bottle of wine. Perhaps this was the night to tell her how I felt. But now she's gone. I looked up to see her walk out the door. I didn't want her to leave, but I couldnt' bring myself to stop her. I wanted her all to myself; I wanted to give her a special evening. All I could bring myself to do was stare after her. Somehow the words "Later" managed to escape my mouth just before she left the room. 

I give up looking for a bottle of wine and curse myself for letting her go as I plop down on the couch. I hear the loud roar of her motorcycle turn into a soft hum as she rides off into the night.

I don't know how long Max was gone; I must have fallen asleep on the couch thinking about her. The next thing I noticed was the door creak when someone walked in. I thought it was Max, but who ever it was just stood there. I was starting to get a little worried that someone may have found us. I started think of a plan so I would be ready to take on whoever was invading the cabin. When the person started walking, I knew it was Max. I would always know that quiet stealth walk that she does when she's trying not to make any noise. It works really well until you get a floor that squeaks. When the floor board creaked, I decided it was time to let her know I was awake. 

"Back already?" I asked her. 

"Yes, I'm home. Go back to sleep." was her reply. 

I couldn't help but smile to myself. I knew she would come back, but just having her here has lifted my spirits. I roll over as she walks into her room. I hear the door quietly close behind her. 

I close my eyes and try and get some sleep. 

Suddenly I'm woken up by Max thrashing about in her room. It sounds like she is having another seizure. I knock on the door and when she doesn't answer I rush into her room. I see her laying on her bed with the picture of her and Logan; she is shaking really bad. They seem to have gotten worse since Logan was killed. I get some trystophen(sp?) and give it to her, then I hold her until she stops shaking. She falls asleep right after her seizure is over. I lay her down on the bed and brush her hair out of her eyes; I pull the covers up over her. I pull up a chair and sit by her bed staring at her beauty until I become to tired to keep my eyes open. I struggle to try and stay awake. Eventually darkness overcomes me and I fall asleep by her side.

Max's Perspective

I'm not quite sure how long I was riding. All I really cared about was going fast on my motorcycle and letting the wind blow through my hair. Going fast always managed to clear my head. When I got back to the cabin, I saw Zack on the couch asleep through the window. I opened the door quietly and walked inside. Zack stirred. I stood still not wanting to wake him. He looks so innocent right now. He has no anger or pain painted on his face. He looks just like a regular person living a regular life. I stood there staring at Zack for quite a while. I wanted to remember Zack as the person I see in font of me now. I will probably never get another chance to see him looking so innocent. 

When I started walking across the room, a floor board creaked and Zack's eyes jerked open. 

"Back already?" he asked.

I answer back, "Yes, I'm home. Go back to sleep."

I walk into my room and reach under my pillow. I pick up the picture I have of Logan and me. A tear runs down my face. "Manticore is going down. You can be sure of that."

I start shaking, oh no, not again.

The next thing I notice is Zack sitting with me telling me I need to take my pills. I let him put them in my mouth and I swallow. He stays with me holding me while I shake, while I slip into another world.

*****

I look up and there is Lydecker standing over Logan's lifeless body. My heart breaks as I rush towards Lydecker. 

*****

It's the night of the escape. My heart pounds as I race towards the gate. I fall into something it's cold and wet. I take a deep breath and head underneath the ice as I realize that this may be the only chance I have of loosing the guard that is chasing me.

*****


	9. Los Angelous

Tinga's Perspective

As we approach Los Angelus, I see factories in the middle of the residential areas where parks used to be. I lived here right after the escape, before the effects of the pulse were real noticeable. It used to be such a beautiful place. There were flowers everywhere, along with ponds filled with fish. Now all there is, is a city filled with trash where hardly any plant life grows. We rode past the park where I used to play. Instead of a pond with a statue of an elephant in the middle of it, there was a heap of trash piled up around the broken statue. The elephant's trunk had been crumpled into pieces and one of his legs were missing. It looks like this place was turned into the city dump. I'm a little sad, I had a lot of memories form this place.

*****

I'm running, I have to keep running. I've been running for over a day now. It 's starting to get dark again. I hear a sound behind me. I look over my shoulder and trip. I'm so exhausted, but I have to keep moving. There is someone behind me. My first thought is Lydecker. I roll over ready to be shot and killed. I can't keep going like this. When I look up there is a boy standing there with his arm stretched out. He must be another one like me. He's been sent to track me down and bring me back. I've never been more scared in my life. But that look on his face. I don't understand. It's almost like he feels compassion towards me. Maybe Zack sent him to check up on me or something. I give him my hand and let him pull me up. He takes a hold of my hand gently and helps me to my feet. Either he is doing a good job of covering up who he is or he's not like me. He tells me to follow him. I check his neck for a barcode; there isn't one. I think to myself what the hell is going on; am I really free at last. 

His family took me in and wanted me to stay with them; however, I couldn't bring myself to stay. At the first sign of light, I got up and left. I could get lost in the daytime crowd quite easily. I could find my way back to where I was last night and see who was following me. I could find out if I was in danger. When I got back to the park I stood and stared at the figurine in the middle. I must have tripped over the logs surrounding it. I stood there in the park staring at it almost all day. There was a person behind me. I turned and attacked. I pined the person to the ground. It was the boy who found me the night before. "Why did you leave? Mummy and daddy are worried about you." he asks. "By the way my name is Kladu. What's yours?" he adds. I didn't answer him. I just sat there and talked to him while we played on the statue. He stayed with me until it got dark. It was a good way to pass time and think about how I was going to find Zack so I could check in. When he got up to leave I told him, "You didn't see me here, got it!" He nodded his head and took off. I think I might have scared him a little, but I didn't really care. I had no intentions of staying at the park or anywhere near this place, but for some reason I did. I felt a connection to the boy for some reason. I just wish knew why; he wasn't like me. He was different, the enemy. 

The next morning the boy found me at the park again. I tried to get information out of him. I questioned him, but I got nothing. Perhaps he really was just another kid. 

*****

I taught him how to defend himself and he taught me about the world as he knew it. But eventually I had to move on. I left without saying good bye to him.

I haven't thought about him in years. This is perhaps my only regret; I should have said goodbye.

As we approach the area Jace was last seen in, we see black vans. Damn, Lydecker beat us here. We scout out the area. There are guys on the roof and in the building next to where she should be. We hide in the shadows and wait for the right moment.

All of a sudden everyone disappears. The vans drive away and the people on the buildings get into helicopters that fly away as soon as they are loaded. A small team stays on the building adjacent to Jace's apartment for surveillance. Either she isn't there and they found a lead somewhere else, or Lydecker already has what he came for. It doesn't really matter though; we're still going to check it out. As soon as we think it's safe we walk out onto the street. We go past Jace's apartment and circle back around. I climb up the fire escape and motion for Johndy to go around front. I don't want any surprises. I pick the lock on fire exit. As I open the door I look to make sure no one is watching. Johndy is already gone and circling towards the front of building. 

I enter the building and let the door close behind me quietly. The power has gone out. The place looks like it has been trashed. I walk down the hall, room 101 ... 105 ... 109 ... all the rooms have been broken into. As I turn the corner to walk down another hall, I hear voices. It could be Jace; there is a guy with her. His voice sounds familiar. I creep quietly towards the room the voices are coming from. The door to the room is wide open like all the others. I creep to the doorway and look inside. I see Jace sitting in the middle of the floor with a blanket in her hands. She is crying to a guy sitting next to her. He is angry, yet concerned about Jace. There is something about him; It's like I know him from somewhere. I push the door open a little farther so they know I'm here. Jace looks up and immediately recognizes me. 

She says, "They took my baby."

She begins to cry harder. Then looks away.

I see Johndy walking up the stairs so I tell her Lydecker took Jace's baby. Johndy runs down the hall and goes over to Jace and gives her a big hug. The guy that was sitting next to her gets up and walks over to me. 

He asks, "Who are you?"

It's almost like he doesn't want us around. "We're just her sisters. You have to tell me what happened here. Our lives may depend on it." I reply. There is no way he is going to know who I am or anything about me other than I'm Jace's sister. I don't know if I can trust him. For all I know, he is working for Manticore. I try to remember if I've seen him there, but I can't recall. Perhaps if I knew his name I would be able to remember. I ask him his name and he replies "Kladu". Kladu? Could that really be him, the little boy from the park? I'll find out later right now there are more important things to worry about. 

I ask him again what happened. He tells me that he was over visiting Jace and all of a sudden they were attacked by a bunch of men in army attire. I guess he doesn't know about Manticore and Lydecker. He said Jace was shot by a dart; he tried to defend her and her baby, but he wasn't able to. They came in hoards and were well trained. I gave him and hug and told him thank you then walked back over to Jace. I told her we would get her baby back but she needed to come with us. We needed to get back to the cabin so we could set the final details of the attack on Manticore. She said she would come and help. She now had just as much anger and pain in her as Max does. Maybe they can offer some comfort to each other.

If only we knew they had the baby; we could have done something. This must be how Zack felt that night he found Max. Jace was still crying, but I can't blame her. She'll be okay to travel and that's what is important right now. I don't know what the surveillance people are up to, for all I know they are trying to get a hat trick. I give Jace a hug and tell her we have to go before they come back. She nods barley acknowledging what I said. We all are ready to leave when Kladu says, "I'm coming with you."

Jace responds, "I can't let you do that. You have a mother and father here that need you."

Kladu says, "I know I do, but right now you need my help to get your baby back."

Jace tries to protest, but I interrupt her and tell him if he's coming he better be ready to leave now. 

He says he's ready. I know Jace may not want him here, but we are going to need all the help we can get and if he has any fighting skills at all, he will be useful.

Johndy hops on her motorcycle when we get outside. She tells Jace to get on and then they speed off into the night. I hop on mine followed by Kladu and we follow them to what ever awaits us. As we ride off, I can't help but wonder if the guy behind me is really the boy from my childhood. If he's not, then who is he. Is he Jace's husband or boyfriend or is he just a friendly neighbor that was stopping by to say hello.

The ride back to the cabin went smoothly. The guys at our first stop were still out of it. It looked like looters came in to steal whatever they could get their hands on. The guys at the second stop must have recognized us because they just waved us through, they didn't even check to see if we had passes or not. I guess they didn't want to get their @sses kicked again. We got back to the cabin just as the sun was coming up. 


	10. Unforseen Enemys

Max's Perspective

I woke up to the sound of motorcycles in the distance. It was light already; I usually don't sleep this long. Even after a seizure as bad as last nights. I roll over and see Zack asleep in a chair next to my bed. The memory of the night before floods back into my mind. Zack had been there for me. He held me telling me everything would be okay. He stayed with me even after the seizures were over. I lay in bed and watch him for a few minutes. He has that look of innocence on his face again. I start to wonder what things would have been like for us if he wasn't my brother, but I quickly push the thought out of my mind. That's something I shouldn't be thinking about. He is my brother and that's the way it has to stay. 

I crawl out of bed and wake Zack up. I tell him we have company coming. He becomes alert; however, he doesn't seem concerned. I know it's probably just Tinga and Johndy returning, but we can't be sure. This is a dangerous time and we need to take precaution. Maybe I'm just concerned because Zack isn't, but I don't want to get caught off guard. I tell Zack I'm going up the trail to see who is coming. It's obvious he doesn't want me to go alone, but he knows there is no use protesting, I'm going to do what I want. At least he's figured that out. I leave the cabin and make a dash into the woods surrounding it. Zack follows close behind me. We run through the woods in the direction the motorcycles are coming from. When we reach the top of the hill, we see Tinga and Johndy off in the distance. I don't see the kid anywhere, but there is a guy with them. He doesn't look familiar; perhaps Jace got married. That still doesn't answer where the kid is though. I'm a little concerned, but I make myself believe that she left the kid with a family that she trusted like Tinga did. 

When I go to leave I bump into Zack. An uncomfortable silence spreads between us. I blow it off like nothing happened and turn away from him to head back to the cabin. I can't get the look he gave me out of my head. It's almost like he looks at me like more than a sister. I know he favors me over all our other siblings, but I always thought that was because we would stick up for each other. We were always close. I didn't fight with him like I would the others on occasion. I'm confused. I wish Logan was here with me, then everything would be all good. I wouldn't be concerned with what Zack thought because I would have someone a lot closer to talk with. But in away Zack is a lot closer than Logan could have ever been. I can talk to Zack about Manticore and he understands. He doesn't pretend to. He truly knows what it was like because he was there with me; however, Zack could never be any more than a brother. Logan was my love. If only he could see us now. We're ready to take on Manticore and destroy that which took his life.

"Max" I hear Zack yell for me. I turn around, but I see it to late. I fall to the ground; I can't move. I'm fully alert and awake, but I can't move. There is a man standing over me with a dart gun and a devilish grin on his face. I thought I saw him shoot Zack too, but I must have been mistaken because when I looked back up where I saw Zack earlier, he was gone. Zack must have been faking it. The guy turns around and takes out his radio. He has something on his neck. It's not a barcode, and it's not like what the Red's have. It's something different. 

Zack's Perspective

I woke up to Max touching me on the shoulder and telling me we've got company. I immediately sat up and listened. It sounded like two motorcycles off in the distance. It was nothing to be concerned about. Max told me she was going to see who it was. I didn't want her to go by herself. I know she can hold her own; I just don't want to leave her alone. 

I tried to tell her to stay here, but she has already made up her mind. She never listens to me. She ran off into the woods, and I ended up following her. She never listens to anyone; one of these days, she is going to get herself into some major trouble. Then I'll have to bail her out, and of course I'll be there for her, how could I not? I wouldn't allow anyone or anything to take her from me. 

When we reach the top of the hill, we crouch down in the bushes so no one can see us. I see Tinga and Johndy on there way back. I was right as usual, it was nothing to be concerned about. I didn't see the kid with them, so they must have left her behind. That was probably a good idea. I wonder who the guy with them is. I better be able to trust him. It better not be Jace's boyfriend; I don't want to have to deal with another Logan. This is depressing I can't believe after all this time I still feel like I have to compete with him. He's gone and he's not coming back. I'm the only one in charge now, and it is going to stay that way.  
  
I hear movement behind me and my focus is quickly diverted. I'm paying attention to what's going on in the woods behind me, I thought I heard something, and when Max bumps into me, I'm caught by surprise. We stand there facing each other for what seems like hours, as time stands still. I'm about ready to reach out and kiss her to let her know exactly how I feel, when she just walks away. She pretends like nothing happened. I'm about to go after her and tell her how I feel when I hear a twig snap off to the side of me. Max doesn't hear it. She is so concerned with pretending to ignore me that she doesn't realize she is in danger. Holler for her; I scream "Max!"  
she turns around to late. She doesn't see the guy in the bush shoot at her. The dart hits her in the shoulder and she falls to the ground. I thank the Blue Lady it was only a dart. The guy shoots at me and I turn away from the dart and catch it as I fall to the ground. I play dead for a few minutes until the guy turns back to face Max. Then I roll down the hill behind a log and prepare for attack. 

The guy radios in that he has two X5 and the other three are on their way here now. 

He was mistaken about one thing, he only has one, and I'm not letting him take her. 

Johndy and Tinga should be getting close to the cabin by now. They will unknowingly create a distraction and then I should be able to get to Max. 

Gunfire starts Tinga and Johndy must be close to the cabin, I hear them quickly turn their motorcycles; I look up as they head into the forest. Once they get past the tree line, the leave their motorcycles. The guy is called on the radio to help pursue the others into the forest. This is my chance. I run out from my hiding space and catch up to the guy. I grab a hold of his head and twist until I hear the soft crack of his neck breaking. I pick up his radio and run over to Max. I pick her up and carry her in the direction I thought Johndy and Tinga would be coming from. Max is getting kind of heavy, but I push on. I'm a soldier, this is what I was trained for.


	11. Battle Grounds

Tinga's Perspective

Everything seemed to quiet. Max and Zack were no where to be seen. I was beginning to get a bad feeling like something had happened. When all of a sudden, I look up to see a group of guys coming out of the cabin and shooting guns at us. 

The one in charge yelled "I want them alive."

The firing stopped; however, it was quickly replaced by a downpour of darts. 

I immediately turned my motorcycle around and headed into the woods. We would be a lot safer there. We get into the woods and Johndy follows my lead as we quickly leap off our motorcycles. 

We would have some cover now to plan our attack and analyze our enemy. 

My guess is Max and Zack are in the cabin unconscious or tied up and they are the bait for us. I'm not going to lead anyone into a trap, so we hang back and wait. I observe the men walking carefully in our direction. They are wearing standard military uniforms and they must have had some good training; they are not separating so we can take them out one at a time. They also don't appear to be from Manticore; for one Manticore people aren't smart enough to keep radio silence. I motion to Johndy and Jace to split up. Kladu motions that he is going to go with Jace. It's quite impressive that he knows military hand signals. I wonder what is mission really is. 

I move deeper into the forest and look over my shoulder to make sure Jace and Johndy will be okay. I'm going to circle around to the back of the cabin and see if I can get in that way. I hear movement off to my left; my reflexes kick in as I crouch down behind a bush. It's one of them; an enemy. As he walks closer, my muscles tense as I prepare to attack. I move the bush slightly so he will continue in my direction. He won't be able to tell if I'm who he is looking for or a wild animal until it is to late.

He approaches the bush, and when he is close enough, I hurl myself at him. He drops his gun as he falls to the ground. I land on top of him and quickly grab his throat. He struggles beneath my grip to breathe before he falls silent and still. I pick up his gun and check to see how many shots I have. There is three darts left. I could take out three of them from the top of the hill and reduce the defenses around the cabin. When I turn to go up the hill, I hear movement. I turn the safety off the gun as I move to investigate. I see Max's body as I start to circle. I stop thinking and rush to help her as someone jumps down on me and begins to strangle me. I look up and notice it's Zack. When he realized it was me he released his grip and helped me up.

He asked where Johndy and Jace were. I motioned back towards the cabin. Zack told me to meet up with them so we could regroup. He wanted to meet back up on top of the hill. I nodded okay and just as I was about to leave, three guys jumped out at us. Two of them went for Zack and the other one went after me. I defended myself as I fought with him. He blocked hit after hit as I did the same until finally I connected with the side of his head. He was pushed backwards, but recovered quickly. He did a flip and tried to kick me in the stomach. I leaped out of the way as he went flying by. He still has his back to me, so I jump quickly into the air and grab a hold of a tree branch. I look over at Zack, he appears to be holding his own pretty well. The guy I was fighting is looking around confused. I guess he doesn't know a genetically engineered girl can disappear real fast if she needs to. 

He turns and has his back to me as he starts to walk over to the other fight. This is my chance. I swing down from the tree and kick him in the back. He flies forward and lands on his stomach a little dazed. I leap forward and land on his back. He struggles to move as I kick his head to the side and snap his neck. Now it's time to help Zack a little bit. I sneak up behind one of Zack's opponents and pull out the knife he has strapped to his side. He turns around to see who is there and Zack delivers a kick to the side of his face. As he falls to the ground I slit his throat. The other guy stands still for a second and stares at us until he runs forward screaming. Zack's foot connects with his stomach and he falls forward. I go to make a deadly slice to the back of his head with my knife when I see a strange marking. I stop short of cutting him and he falls to the ground at my feet. I haven't seen any sort of marking like that before. I look up at Zack who is staring down at the guy with the same confused look I have.

Zack's Perspective

I have to keep moving. I have to find Tinga, Johndy and Jace and make sure they get out of here okay. I hear movement off to my left so I lay Max down behind a bush and move to investigate. They won't think of her as a target because she is already down, she will be relatively safe. I can't see who is approaching, so I climb up in the tree and crouch down on the branch. This way I can pounce as soon as I see my attacker. A twig snaps and out runs a girl towards Max. I don't have time to think; I have to protect Max. I jump down on the girl and pull her to the ground under me. I reach for her throat and notice that it is Tinga. I quickly get off of her and help her up. 

I ask where the others are and she motions back towards the cabin. I quickly tell her I'm going to take Max back up to the top of the hill and to get the others so we can regroup. I go to ask her who the guy with them is, but I decide to bit my tongue. There is no time to worry about that now. Obviously they trust him or he wouldn't be here. Tinga turns to run off and I turn to go back up the hill. I see three guys coming out of the trees. There is no way I'll be able to out run them and carry Max, so I set her down and prepare to fight. Tinga sees them too. She is also standing close by in a ready stance. Two of the guys come after me and the other one goes after Tinga. I stand still and allow my muscles to tense, so I'll be ready when they make the first move. One of them makes a hand signal as the other one circles around to the other side of me. I don't recognize the hand signal. These people might not be from Manticore, or Lydecker is getting smart and teaching his lapdogs a new code. On second thought, Lydecker isn't that smart. The one from behind me attacks first. I block and send him falling to the ground as I kick him in the side. The other one attacks and I try to defend, but I am caught off guard as the other attacker comes up from behind me a throws a punch into the back of my neck. Damn that hurt like hell. I loose my concentration for a second and the other guy kicks me in the stomach. I run and get out from the middle of them. These guys aren't ordinary soldiers; they've had some training. 

I was starting to get frustrated, but I saw Tinga start to walk up behind one of my opponents. This is my chance to take them out. Tinga distracts one by taking his knife out of his side pocket. As he looks to see who is there, I kick him in the head. Tinga slits his throat as he falls to the ground in her direction. The other guy stands there and stares at us for a few seconds, then puts his hand on his knife and runs towards us screaming. He must know he doesn't have a chance, but he doesn't give up or retreat. I've got some respect for the guy. He knows his mission and he will die in the process of completing it if he has to. 

I prepare to attack as he rushes forward. I lay a kick into his stomach and send him falling forward. Tinga goes to stab him in the neck as he falls by her. She stops short and stands there staring at him. I notice a strange marking on the back of his neck. I'm not quite sure what to think. We've ran into the Red's and a couple other groups, but I have never seen a marking such as this before, and someone from the informant net has always given us warning if they find another government that is doing genetic research. 

I look up at Tinga and motion for her to get the others. This situation has just gotten ten times worse. When she leaves, I pick up the guy and throw him against the tree. I ask him who he is and he just ignores me. I ask him what is in the darts, and again I'm ignored. Who ever he is, he was taught well. This is going to take a little effort to get any information out of him. 

He is still laying on the ground. I walk up in front of him and pick him up. he doesn't struggle to get away. It is almost like he welcomes death. I help him up and surprisingly he takes my hand and allows me to bring him to his feet. I can tell by the way he is standing that he doesn't want to fight me. 

I ask him, "If you won't tell me who or what you are, can you at least tell me why you are hear?"

He responds, "I can tell you anything other than my government wants to get a hold of you. I wasn't told the whole story, but I overheard something about taking down a genetics lab that was being rebuilt."

I wonder if these people are trying to stop Manticore, or perhaps one of the other government run programs. But why wouldn't they just ask for our help. They should know it's less likely that we will work for them if they try and force us into it, even if it is our enemy they are sending us after.


	12. Unknown Alliance

Zack's Perspective

I stand in front of the man and introduce myself as Zack. Right now I'm going to try and build some trust. I need to figure out what they did to Max, then I can get on to what they know about the genetics lab. The man seems surprised that I would be this friendly towards him. The situation is going the way I want for now. The man introduces himself as Vriel. He seems to lighten up a little bit, but I can still see the fear in his eyes. I tell him I will not hurt him if he can help me. He doesn't respond; he just stares back at me with a blank look on his face. I tell him I know about genetic engineering. I notice a glimpse of hope in his eyes as he pulls a vile from his pocket. He tells me to give it to my friend after he leaves. I take the vile and turn to look at Max. When I turn back to thank him and ask him about the lab, he is already gone. 

Off in the distance I can hear the roar of a truck leaving the area. I pick up Max and climb up the rest of the hill. I see military vans speeding down the road in the opposite direction of the cabin. I can't help but wonder who those people were and what the strange marking on the back of their neck meant. 

It's strange that all it took was for me to say I knew about genetic engineering, and Vriel was willing to trust me. I can't help but think I'm missing the bigger picture. I think he knew more than he was letting on. Perhaps he assumed that I was genetically engineered, or perhaps he accomplished his mission after all. Either way I need to get some answers. 

I lay Max down on the ground and brush the hair out of her eyes. Her beauty extends beyond perfection. When she is asleep, I can see through the bad@ss attitude she has. I can see her innocence; I love her even more when I see this tender side of her. I give her the antidote and she begins breathing normally again. I sit there holding her as she begins to wake up. I can tell she is disoriented as she opens her eyes and looks up at me. This is the second time I could have lost her. 

Max's Perspective

I wake up and Zack is holding me. I don't know where I am. I'm scared, but I feel a sense of protection from Zack. I lay there in his arms as the memories come flooding back. The last thing I remember was being afraid because I couldn't move and then looking up at the back of the guys neck that shot me and seeing an image I didn't recognize. I can't get the image out of my head from the back of the guy's neck. I can't help but wonder who he was and what he wanted. I needed answers to those questions, and I needed them fast. I had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the last time we would run into them.

I look up into Zack's eyes and I see concern. The same concern I saw the morning after Logan was killed. He never talked to me about that night or that morning. He always managed to change the subject. It's like he feared what I would do if he brought it up. He looked at me then as he is now. As someone who needs to have tabs kept on her. 

I'm not a little girl that needs protection; I can take care of myself. For some reason, Zack has decided that it would be his responsibility to take care of me. He's are leader so I don't have a problem with it for the most part, but he looks at me different than he does the others. 

I hear voices off in the distance and I slowly return to reality. I tell Zack we need to get moving, and he helps me up. He acts like he is afraid I might fall apart into a million different pieces if he's not careful. He tries to pick me up to carry me back to the cabin, but I step away from him. I stumble a little as I start down the path; the drugs must still be in effect. Zack takes my arm and offers his help. I gladly take it. I don't want to hurt myself to bad trying to make it down the hill, and right now Zack's hand is more stable then my own feet. When we get back to the cabin, Zack helps me to the couch and tells me to stay put. He then pulls up a chair as he looks over Johndy's shoulder. I look around the room and see Jace talking to a guy and Tinga making some tea. 

I try to get Zack's attention, but he ignores me and tells me to get some sleep. I try to tell him about what was on the back of the guy's neck, but he cuts me off and tells me he knows. He saw it too. I ignore Zack and walk over behind Johndy; she's doing a search right now to see if she can find anything. Zack give me a dirty look for ignoring his order, but right now I really don't care. If only Logan were here; he had a lot of contacts. We probably would have found something already. Johndy is good at what she does, but she will never be as good with computers as Logan. A single tear runs down my check as I remember the times I could have told Logan I loved him but didn't. I passed up an opportunity and I've regretted it every day sense. 

Tinga's Perspective

I move off to go and find the others. I run into them not far from where I left them. They are involved in hand to hand combat with the enemy. I see Kladu involved in the fighting just as much as Jace and Johndy. He almost has as much skill as we do, if you don't take into account our strength. Jace knocks out the guy she is fighting the same time as Johndy knocks out her guy. I jump in and help as more approach the scene. I tackle the nearest enemy I can find from behind. I notice he also has the strange marking that the other one had. 

Just as the battle is starting to get interesting, a voice comes on over the radio, "Ziya, this is Vriel, time to pull out." A girl appeared from the bushes behind me and gave a hand signal I didn't recognize, then our enemy just left. They were there one second and gone the next. In that brief second we were distracted, they managed to disappear. I felt a cold chill run down my spine as I thought of who they might be. 

I motioned for Johndy to take the others back to the cabin and make sure nothing was trashed to bad. I went up the hill to see if I could find Zack and Max. As I approach my destination, I see Zack setting Max down on the ground and holding her as he gives her something. He looks down into her eyes as she drifts back to reality. I help but feel a twinge of jealousy for the way he is looking at her. Sometimes I fee he cares about her more than anything else. I quickly push my feelings out of they way as I holler for Zack and tell him the enemy pulled out and we are all meeting back at the cabin. He nods and then starts to help Max get up. I quickly make my way back to the cabin and see Jace talking to Kladu and Johndy sitting in front of the computer running a search on the people we just fought. I start to make some tea as Zack brings Max in and lays her on the couch. Zack goes over to the computer and looks over Johndy's shoulder as she does the search. Max and Zack have an exchange of words and I can tell Zack is annoyed at her, but he pretends like nothing is bothering him. I give Zack and Johndy a cup of tea, then I motion for Jace and Kladu to follow me out side. I leave the cabin and go to the cliff outside. They come up behind me and we stare off into the late afternoon sun. 

The silence is broken when Jace starts talking about her child. We all sit there with her in silence as she cries to us. I put my arm around her and tell her we will get her baby back. She continues crying, but I see a spark of hope in her eyes.

Zack's Perspective

That girl never listens. If she would stay on the couch and get some sleep, she would recover a lot faster. Instead, she thinks she needs to be part of the action. I look over and see a tear run down the side of her emotionless face. She must be thinking about Logan again. I feel jealousy come across me and then quickly push it away. Max looks up at me and then calmly says she's going outside. I think that's for the best if she gets some fresh air, maybe it will help her clear her head. She really needs to get a reality check. He's dead and not coming back. The best thing she can do is move on.

As Johndy continues the search, she tells me about Jace's child. I feel more anger come over me. Manticore is endangering my family, and they never stop coming, but once again we were not top priority in the mission. Jace was left there without a second thought this seems similar to the situation that happened a month ago with Max. Manticore must be trying to start a new operation or something. Whatever it is, I bet this genetics lab that Kladu spoke of has something to do with it. 

I am brought back to reality by Johndy taping me on the shoulder. Our computer has just been called directly. It appears that the people who attacked us earlier set up a connection. They have sent us the information we needed on the genetics lab in order to attack it. I try to send a message back to them, but our computer has already downloaded the information and the connection has been terminated. I look at the information with Johndy. We were sent blue prints of the lab, and the location of Jace's baby. From looking at the blue prints, I can tell this lab is definitely part of a Manticore operation.

Max's Perspective

I walk out side and see the others on the cliff. Jace is crying about loosing her baby and Tinga is doing the best she can to comfort her. This is another reason why the sooner we take out Manticore the better off we'll all be. We may not be in as much danger as we used to be, but the ones we love are being attacked. I want to go to her and hug her, but right now I have problems of my own I need to deal with. 

Every time I think of Logan my stomach aches with pain beyond belief. I want to move on and be able to help my brothers and sisters, but I always manage back in the same spot, wishing he was still here beside me. I head into the woods; when I'm in this mood, I don't want anyone around. My brothers and sisters are the reason I'm still living. They need my help to take out Manticore, then I can have my peace. 

I hear a sound and I turn to see a squirrel dive into a bush. I envy the squirrel; it has nothing to worry about. It goes about it's day collection nuts and berries with no worries, or fears. It runs free with no one following and telling it what to do. I may have escaped from Manticore, but really I'm not free at all. I'm on the run, constantly being chased. I'm being ordered around by Zack who doesn't want me to live my own life. 


	13. Weakness

Zack's Perspective

I go outside to holler at the others and tell them we have some information. Max isn't with them and they didn't see her come out. I start to worry about her; she better not get herself into anymore trouble. 

The other's are anxious to see what we have, so I ignore my concern for Max right now and bring them inside to show then what I have. I figure I can give Max a private briefing later. I explain how I got the information and that it may be a trap. The others are aware of the dangers involved, but they are willing to take the risk. It seems they are to a point that they would do anything to get revenge on Manticore. 

I leave the floor plans for them to memorize and I dial the contact number I have for Syl and Kurt; they didn't want to be left out of the action. I left the coordinates for them and told them to meet us there in 24 hours. By then I'll have a plan thought out and we'll be able to go in, get the baby, and blow up a few things. Hopefully this time it won't be as bad as before. I don't think I could survive being trapped at Manticore again.

Jace comes up to me and asks where Max is. I had almost forget that she was gone. I tell Jace I'll go find Max and not to worry. I walk out side and let my eyes adjust to the darkening skies. 

I have no clue where Max would be. Her motorcycle is still here so I know she can't be far. I scan the surrounding area for any signs that may give me a clue towards the direction Max may have gone. As always, Max did a good job of covering her tracks. I head into the woods in the direction of the small cave we found earlier in the year. Max would go there sometimes to get away. Perhaps by chance, I'll run into her. Eventually, as I get closer to the small cave, I hear a faint crying sound. It has to be Max. I run in the direction of it and sure enough there she is. I find her sitting at the base of the cave. I'm surprised she didn't crawl up inside. She is curled up in a ball with her head on her knees. I walk up to her and sit down beside her. I hold her in my arms trying to give her any comfort she will accept. 

If only she knew how I felt. If she knew she was loved, then perhaps she would be able to let go. As she cries on my shoulder, every part of me wants to show her how I feel. Nothing is more important to me then her. Of course the rest of my family is important, but Max is more than my family; she is the one I love. Once again, she is crying on shoulder about the man she loved. My heart aches with pain for her. I want nothing but happiness for her, but I also want her to love me. I need her to love me the same way she loved Logan. If only I could help her to think of me as more than a brother. 

After Max is done crying, I help her up and tell her about the blue prints Vriel sent us. Max listened carefully. She told me that it was probably a trap. I assured her that I realized that and so did our brothers and sisters. I also made sure she knew everyone was willing to take the risk if it meant we could have revenge. I filled her in on the rest of the information and she asked about Syl and Kurt. I told her that they wanted to help and we would meet them in the prearranged place tomorrow night. 

Max looked at me with a sparkle in her eyes. It was the same sparkle she had when Logan would send her out on missions to save the world. I could tell she was ready for her revenge and she was determined to enjoy every second of it. 

I wasn't exactly sure what she had in mind for Lydecker, but honestly, I didn't care. As long as she would be able to relieve some of her anger, I would be happy for her. For some reason, I needed her to be happy in order to allow myself to be happy. 

Tinga's Perspective

When Zack went after Max, I really wanted to follow. I was curious to find out what was going on between them. They were always off by themselves talking and it was like he was telling her things he didn't tell the rest of us. I hurt me that he would trust her more and tell her things he would tell no one else. I know they went through a lot together with Logan's death and all, but he favored her over the rest of us. I would have really liked to help Max out with her problems too. They don't need to keep secrets from us. We are all family and we're all in this together. 

Before I had a chance to sneak out after them, Kladu hollered at me. I turn around to see him watching me with concern. I wonder if he knows how jealous I am or if he just thinks I'm worried about them. I ask him what he wanted and he replied, "Lets keep talking about the plan. I want to make sure I know what I'm doing." It seemed fair enough to me. I really did want to run and follow them, but we did need to know what was gong on for tomorrow and that was probably more important right now.

I walked back over to the table where everyone else was. I stood there listening to there conversation. They go off talking about the attack and the different teams. They are discussing who will do what. The lure of Kladu brings me closer to the table and I sit down in the seat beside him. I'm trying to concentrate on what everyone else is talking about, but for some reason, all I can think about is Kladu. I can't help but wonder why I never noticed before how attractive he is. He has deep brown eyes; almost black. His skin is a smooth dark golden brown. His hair is long and dark black; he has it up in a pony-tail. His face is clean without a sign of whiskers. His muscles are nicely toned giving him a really nice body.

As the door flies opens, my attention is shifted from Kladu to Max and Zack walking in. Max seems in a pretty good mood; she's probably happier than I've seen her in a long time. Zack also looks pleased. He too is looking quite attractive tonight. Damn, I really need a cold shower. It's almost like ... oh no! ... I'm in heat.

Kladu introduces himself to Max and Zack. Zack looks a little skeptical, but when isn't he. I use the diversion as my chance to get away. If I stayed in that room any longer, thing would have gotten really strange. I head off to take a cold shower and then I'm going to head to bed. I really wish someone could just lock me in my room for the next couple of days. I really don't want to wake up in the middle of the night an do something I'll regret. After I get out of the shower, I put my pajamas on and lay down in bed. I close my eyes and try and force myself to get some sleep; it just doesn't seem to come fast enough, but eventually darkness overcomes me.

Max's Perspective

When Zack found me, I wasn't to happy to see him, I just wanted to be left alone. I didn't want him, or anyone else for that matter to see me like this. I was having a moment of weakness, as Zack would say. I didn't have to hear him say it; I was sure it was on the tip of his tongue. At least I did until he sat down beside me and held me while I cried. Once again he is showing compassion towards me. Maybe he really does care, I just wish I knew how much. If he does think of me as more then a sister, ... My thoughts continued to fade from Logan to Zack. Logan is gone and I can't change that. Zack is trying to help me move on. I really want his help, but it's easier to reject him then accept the comfort he has to offer. I wonder if I could let myself love him if he wasn't my brother, but he is my brother and that's not changing either. I can't let it. I won't!

After I stop crying, Zack lets go of me and helps me to my feet. He tells me about the blue prints Vriel sent us. It sounds like it would be easy to me. In fact, a little to easy. This could be a deadly trap. Zack assures me that everything will be fine. He tells me Syl and Kurt will be meeting us tomorrow night. Everyone is willing to take the chance, and this may be the only opportunity we get for revenge that will be this easy. I am starting to feel a little excited. I'll finally be able to get my revenge.

As we walk back to the cabin, the excitement starts to build up inside of me even more. I think about Lydecker and how I'll tear him apart piece by piece if I see him there. I'll make sure the physical pain he'll feel will be worse than the pain I feel every time I think of Logan. Lydecker will regret the day he became involved with Manticore. No, he'll regret the day he was born. 

Zack pats me on the back and interrupts my thoughts. I turn to see him smiling at me. He must know what is going through my head; he couldn't possibly realize that I am happy otherwise. I smile back at Zack and give him a hug. I may not have this opportunity if not for him. I owe him everything. I'm not sure what I would have done if he wouldn't have been here for me like he has been. I probably would have done something really rash and possibly gotten myself killed. I'm sure he knows this and that is why he is always following me around when I'm having a moment of weakness. 

We walk inside the cabin and see everyone sitting around discussing the plan for the attack on the lab. Kladu gets up and introduces himself to me and tells me how glad he is to help. He seems sincere enough. I'm sure I can trust him. It's obvious Jace does. I look around, but I don't see Tinga anywhere. I figure she already went to bed and I don't think much more about it. I sit down at the table with them and continue talking about the plan. I want to see what ideas everyone has on how this is going to work. The more we talk about it, the better our plan will become. 


	14. Restless Nights

Zack's Perspective

When we get back to the cabin, Kladu introduces himself to us. Max seemed to like him, but she gives out her trust to easy. As long as someone says they have the same objective as her, she gives them the benefit of the doubt. That's something that's got to change. I'm skeptical about the whole thing. Kladu showing up as Jace is being attacked seems a little to convenient to me. He's following her around and then some group of unknowns find our cabin and attack us. They then proceed to send us inside information about a Manticore operation. Am I the only one that sees the danger in this guy? I don't understand why the others can't see it. I can't help but wonder if I'm really that paranoid or if my thoughts are relevant. 

I scan the room and see that Tinga has managed to disappear. She looked a little flushed when we walked in; I hope she's not coming down with something. Max and Kladu walk back over to the table and discuss the plans. It's been a long day and we all need our rest. I tell everyone to go to bed and immediately they get up and file into their rooms. I know half of them won't sleep, but at least they will be in a meditative state that will allow there body to rest. Max was the only one that didn't listen to me. She watched me walk over to the couch and sit down. When she realized I had no intention of sleeping, she came over and sat by me. 

"That means you too." she said. 

I nodded, but made no attempt to move. 

We sat together in silence for quite a while. Each of our heads filled with thoughts of the future. 

Tomorrow evening we would meet Sly and Kurt. We would get Jace's baby back and destroy another reminisce of Manticore. Our spirits would be lifted and our hearts more at peace. 

After a while, my eye lids start to feel heavy. I let the darkness take over knowing if I don't sleep now, I'll probably be up all night. Besides, I know Max won't go to bed until she knows I'm asleep.

*****

We're running towards the fence. I look back and see a smaller version of Max shoot the woman I love. I run towards her and try to fight, but I'm over powered. I'm thrown to the ground by a child no older than I was when I escaped. I look over to Max and see her laying on the ground unconscious. The medical team arrives and takes us inside. Max needs a heart or she is going to die. I grab a gun and attempt to give my life to save hers. 

*****

Renfro walks in and starts talking to me. She tells me Max died and that I was stupid to try and save her. She told me I was weak and emotionally attached. 

"I wasn't weak. I love her!" I screamed at Renfro. I saw an evil grin cone across her face.

She leans closer to me and says, "That's to bad, she's dead because of you."

*****

I wake up in anger and rage. To think I was stupid enough to believe that b!tch. I'll show her what I'm made of and she'll regret what she did to me. She broke my hear that day and for the first time I started feeling. I was no longer the perfect little soldier, I was a person. I was filled with pain and at the same time hope. Hope of being able to escape and then destroy every last part of Manticore. It all starts tomorrow; this is the day I've been waiting for, for a long time. 

I roll over and drift back to sleep at the sound of Tinga and Kladu talking. 

Max's Perspective

When Zack told us it was time for bed, I couldn't help but feel relieved. The day had been stressful and my mind needed time to rest. I was looking forward to a little meditation. As I start to head into my room, I noticed Zack sit down on the couch. Knowing him, he had no intention of getting any sleep. He would continue going over the plan in his head determining every possible source of error. I feel kinda bad for him; he shouldn't worry so much. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. All we can do is depend on each other and hope for the best. If we all have clear heads and are focused on the primary objective, then there shouldn't be a problem. 

I walk over to Zack and sit down beside him. Somebody has to make him get some sleep and I guess tonight that person is going to be me. I tell Zack he needs to go to bed. He acknowledges me, but makes no attempt to move. I can't help but find the irony of the situation funny; he thinks I'm bad, ... he should take his own advice. I sit there with Zack, lost in my own thoughts. I'm worried about tomorrow, but I'm sure between all of us we'll be able to get in and out okay. I'm also worried about Zack. He's been stressing way to much lately. 

I sit there with him until his breathing slows and I'm sure he's fallen asleep. I grab a blanket out of the closet and I put it over him. Then I walk into my room and pick up the picture of Logan. I smile to myself knowing that tomorrow night I'll have my revenge. Logan's death will no longer be invaine; instead, he will be known as a martyr. He will have died for a cause he believed in. Once again a single tear runs down my cheek. I grab my pillow and hug it as tight as I can. I think to myself, ... tomorrow, ... Logan ... tomorrow you will be avenged. I lay down in bed and pull the covers up over me while still hugging the pillow. I close my eyes and do the best I can to reach a state of meditation. I'm not tired, but my body is. 

I wake up to hear Tinga and Kladu talking. It's the middle of the night still; it's got to be pretty late. It sounds like Tinga is in heat and she's about ready to attack Kladu. The strange thing is though, Kladu seems to know what going on. I slowly try to crawl out of bed so I can get Tinga away from him if he takes advantage of the situation. My body is to tired to move, so I lay there half asleep and listen to what is going on. This might be a side affect of the drug I was on earlier today. I strain to hear what is going on and stay awake. I hear him telling Tinga to go back to bed and get some sleep. No wonder Jace trusts him so much. I guess he is an honorable man after all. He's not like the scum I've had to deal with on the streets. 

I feel the darkness pulling me back towards it. Knowing that Tinga will be okay, I allow myself to be pulled back to my dreams. 

*****

I'm in a building somewhere and I hear the soft drip of water as I run down the hall. I have to keep moving. I don't know why, but I have to. I get to the end of the hall and I see Logan standing there bloodied and beaten. 

He steps forward and takes my hand, using it to pull me to the ground in front of him. He pulls out a gun and speaks, "It's your fault I'm here. If you wouldn't have been taking your time, you could have saved me. It's all your fault and I'm never going to forgive you. Even if you kill Lydecker, I can never have my life back. It's all your fault."

*****

Tinga's Perspective

I wake up and roll over. I'm not sure what time it is, but it's still dark. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep through the whole night, but I was really hoping I would this time. I find myself getting up and wandering out into the hall. I see Zack laying on the couch asleep and it takes all the effort I have to keep walking. I've got to get out of here; there are to many guys around. I want to be around them, well I want attention from them, ... but I can't do this, I've got to keep moving. I force myself to look at the door as I walk past Zack hoping that I will manage to get out of hear before I jump on him. 

Once I get outside, the cold air calms me down a little bit. I walk up to the cliff, and without thinking, I dive into the depths of the ocean. The cold water sends chills through my body and makes me forget about everything. My mind becomes clear and focused as I swim deeper and deeper. I swim until my lungs are about ready to burst, then I head to the surface. I reach the surface and suck in as much air as I can. I have always liked the feeling of swimming as deep as I can. Many of the others don't understand it. I know it's probably because of the tests back at Manticore, but I hated that one the least. I swim back into shore at the surface of the water as the waves carry me up and down. When I reach the cliff, I let the waves push me up to it and I take hold of a ledge. I pull myself up out of the water as the waves die back. I then climb to the top of the cliff and stand there as the wind dries me. 

I stand there until the first hint starts to stretch across the sky. I decide it's time to head back inside. I quickly walk past Zack without even stopping to look at him. I go in my room and close the door. the restlessness starts to set back in as I pace the room trying to tell myself to get under control. 

I hear a door open and peek into the hall to see who is moving about. I figured it would be Max telling us to wake up so we could get an early start on things today, or at least that's what I hoped. Instead, I see Kladu coming out of the bathroom. He looks up and sees me, he waves hi as he heads back into his room. I go up to him and start making random comments about how I can't sleep and he talks to me for a little while. I don't really listen to what he has to say. All I can think about his how sexy he looks right now. I'm not thinking clearly, all I know is that I want him. I need to feel the breath of his lips on mine. My body is surging with desire and lust for him. I can no longer control the burning with in me. I move forwards and try to kiss him when he stops talking.

He pushes me away and says that he knows what is happening; he knows I'm in heat. How could he know I'm in heat. That's something that we don't usually tell guys about. I'm shocked, I don't know why Jace would want to tell him. I don't trust any guy enough to tell him that. The only reason Zack would know about the whole heat thing is because of the first time it happened back at Manticore. I can still remember the look on Lydecker's face when Jace went into heat and attacked him. It was priceless. It's like he wasn't sure what was going on and whether or not he was supposed to be enjoying it. 

Kladu pushed me back into my room and tells me to go to sleep. He then shuts the door and I hear him walk into his room. I sit down on my bed and stare at the floor as I try and contain my urges to run into his room. 

My thoughts drifted back to knowing that Jace told Kladu about the heat thing. I still can't believe she told him. I never even told my husband. He just thought on some days I performed better than others. I start to get angry at her, but I calm myself down knowing that I'm just being real emotional right now, an unfortunate side affect of being in heat. I know I can get real emotional during this time, but tomorrow, or more like today, I'm going to show them I can deal with it. I lay down on my bed and stare up at the ceiling hoping that sleep will come fast, or morning will come faster. 

Kladu's Perspective

I walk back into my room and plop down on my bed. I wish I would have known she was in heat before then. I could have avoided her. It's always so tempting to take advantage of that situation when it happens, but I know I can't. If I did that, I'd be just as bad as them, the Fabunni. They believe they have a power over people and that everyone should be bent to there will. If only I could tell Jace that that's who attacked us earlier. If only I could tell her about my past. 

I lay in bed thinking about the little girl I found so many years ago. She may have only been a part of my life a short while, but in that time, she taught me more than I could have ever hoped. She was a friend and she was loyal. I reach up and scratch the back of my neck. If she were still around, she would understand. I know I could talk to her. I close my eyes, and think about the better days, the days before the Fabunni found me. 

Like always, I can remember the day they took me better than I can remember anything else.

*****

The sun was starting to set; the sky was filled with clouds ranging from pink to dark purple. The colors spread across the sky like feathers. A few birds were singing and playing in a puddle of water. I hear foot steps coming up from behind me. A hand is placed across my mouth I try to scream, but no sound comes out. I try and run, but my legs won't move. I was given a shot of some kind and everything turned black.

*****

I wake up in a small room and see many other children. They look afraid and most of them are crying. I sit with my back against the wall and pray to this blue lady my friend spoke of. I focus all my attention on her, instead of my fear. The next thing I notice is a guy who walks into the room and shoots all of the children who have been crying. I hear screams of pain and agony as the man leaves. Most of the children are laying on the floor stained in their own blood. There was one girl who wasn't killed, she was just injured badly and she was crying out in pain. I went to her side and held her until she slipped into another world. I looked at her long after she had died and I couldn't help but wish I could have saved her somehow. I scan the room and see three other guys, and one girl. The other four came to me and we all sat there, in a circle, in silence, trying to figure out what to do next. We offered each other companionship and comfort as we sat for what seemed like days. We are huddled up together, none of us willing to accept the situation which we are in. We are scared and afraid, but yet none of us cry; none of us beg to be released. We just sit and wait for the next person to come in with guns blazing. 

*****

A man walks in and tells us to stand up, I'm not sure whether it is still the same day, or later that night. Time seemed to be going slower and slower. Slowly we all stand and follow the man. He marches us down the halls so we can be relocated. We are given food and new clothing. The man tell us to get some sleep; however, none of us do. We all go over to the wall, opposite the door, and sit with our backs against it, waiting for what is going to happen next. 

*****

A woman walks into our room and tells us that we were still alive because we are the best of the group and as long as we work hard, she will let us continue to live. I tell myself that I am going to do exactly what she say so I can get out of here.

*****

I wake up startled because I haven't dreamed about that place in a long time, I try and push the memories out of my mind, but I can't, it's almost like I'm supposed to remember. 

They taught us to fight and to defend ourselves. I was better at this then the others because of a friend I had once. I thought being the best would work to my advantage, but it didn't. Our leader saw that I was better then the others and she pushed me harder. She was determined to train me to the best of my ability. I did everything I could to try and please her. The harder she pushed, the harder I tried. I wanted out and if this is how I had to do it, so be it. 

One day, she sends me on a mission to bring back a baby. She tells me about Jace and about Manticore. I was given orders to find this girl and her baby and observe them so when the time comes, I could take the baby and bring her back to this place. They were hoping to train the baby like I was trained. The only problem would be Jace. She's genetically engineered and she'll protect what is hers. 

I found Jace and her baby, but I couldn't complete my mission. I fell in love with her child. I made the decision to get the tattoo on the back of my neck removed. I became a part of her life and did everything I could to help her stay away from Manticore when she finally decided to tell me. I offered her support and anything else she needed, including friendship. I was never allowed to meet her siblings though, I'm not sure why. She said she didn't know where they were and didn't know how to contact them, yet she talked about them constantly. 

I did everything I could, but when the Fabunni came after her, I could not stop them. She thought it was Manticore, but she was wrong. The Fabunni were the ones that stole her baby and now they are using us to break into a Manticore base in attempt to get her back. If only there was some way I could prove to them who I was and that I was right. Even then they probably still wouldn't listen, they are all so caught up in getting revenge that they can't see the bigger picture. Their desire for revenge is their weakness and right now that is being used against them. 

In the morning I'll try and think of a way to talk to them, they have to know what they are dealing with if they are going to go through with this attack. But for now I need my rest, I'm not genetically enhanced, I still have to sleep. 

*****

I'm in a cave somewhere, I'm scared and afraid. There is the presence of a monster near by. I try and run, but my leader stops me and tells me to go back into the cave. She says that I have to face the dragon before I myself can become one. I walk back into the cave and when I turn around to make sure she will be watching me, she was gone. I think about running, but I feel the beckoning of the unknown calling me. 

I enter a cavern. I see before me a pit of fire that spreads to the depths if the earth and an old bridge that leads to an unknown destination. I can hear something coming; flying in my direction. It's a black dragon. It lands in front of me and spreads it's wings wide. It shoots fire up into the air scorching the roof of the cavern. It swings it's barbed tail towards the bridge and destroy it. I watch the bridge fall into the fiery pit and incinerate on impact. The dragon looks into my eyes as I look into his eyes in return. His eyes are dark red, burning with the flames of chaos. I feel a burn on the back of my neck and I turn to see his tail moving away from me. He had hit me with a spike that was on it. He left his mark on my neck. The dragon then gets up and flies away leaving me standing in the cave all alone. The cave becomes dark, but I'm no longer afraid. I walk back towards the opening of the cave with new confidence and pride. For the first time, I feel like a part of something special. As I enter the light, I start to realize the full responsibility of what I had just done. 

*****

I jerk awake and feel the back of my neck. It's sore like when I got the tattoo the first time, I look in the mirror and breathe a sigh of relief when I realize the tattoo didn't reappear. All I see is a quickly fading red outline of where it used to be. The Fabunni can't keep their mark on me forever. My will power is to strong to let them control me anymore. 


	15. The Long Wait

Max's Perspective

I wake up from my dream startled from what I just saw. I'm responsible for Logan's death; I know I am. I should have gotten there sooner. Then I would have been able to save him. Soon I'll have revenge. The sooner the better. I look out the window and see the sun shining through the thick trees outside. I holler at the others to get moving. We have a long day ahead of us. I grab the sector passes that Tinga and Johndy picked up and distribute them. Zack picks up the blue prints off the table. Everyone starts grabbing the weapons of there choice. Zack takes a few guns. Johndy and Tinga take their daggers and a gun. Kladu takes his swords. Me and Jace take nothing. I've never liked to use guns, and there is no way I'm going to start now. Guns are just another way for a person to be lazy. 

After everyone is ready, we hop on our motorcycles and speed off into the morning sun. We had quite a few check points to go through before we would be able to see Syl and Kurt. We will probably be traveling most of the day, but it should go relatively easy thanks to our new found sector passes. Zack and I take the lead as we travel to our destination. We are all in this together regardless of the out come. A chain reaction of events has been set off, there is no returning now. 

When we arrive at the first check point, we go through one at a time. We're not expecting any trouble, but we are cautious just incase. Everything was going fine until Tinga managed to push one of the guards up to the fence and start kissing him. I really didn't need this right now. I run up to her and smack her across the face. I push her back towards her motorcycle and tell her to get moving. I wait until she catches up with Zack to get on mine and follow. I decide it would be best if I bring up the rear. I don't want to loose Tinga along the way to a hottie going the opposite direction. It seems like one of us always has to go into heat at the worst possible time. I guess that's the way nature goes for genetically enhanced killing machines. If it wasn't Tinga, it would be Jace or Johndy. 

Zack's Perspective

I was surprised at how well Max took charge. She got everyone their sector passes and she got us through the checkpoints. I wasn't in the mood to deal with Tinga being in heat. I was trying to focus on the objective, and Tinga was just slowing us down. At times like these, I wish I could just lock her in the closet and leave her there. Max always does a good job dealing with who ever is in heat. She's got a lot of patients, or at least more then any of the rest of us. Max has always been a strong leader. She cares about what happens to us, and she doesn't want to see anyone get hurt. Today, she is keeping everyone going. 

After the first checkpoint, Max just pushed Tinga right along, she didn't even give her a chance to look at guys. Thanks to her, we manager to make up time pretty fast. We were even a head of schedule. 

We met Syl and Kurt at the prearranged place. I gave them the blueprints to look at and the information they needed to know about the attack. We went over the final details of the plan. I made sure everyone knew what they would be doing. We wouldn't leave until dark and there were still a few hours left of sun. I could tell everyone wanted to get moving, but I was reluctant to move things to fast. They were going to have to wait a little longer. Besides, I wanted to talk to Max first. I had to tell her the truth, just incase one of us didn't come back. I would never forgive myself if I missed my opportunity to tell her how I feel. 

Zack's Perspective

I find Max and pull her aside. I tell her I need to talk to her. I start walking into the forest and she follows. Once we get a ways away from where we are staying, we sit down on a pile of rocks. 

I look her in the eyes and tell her:  
"Maxie, you know what we are doing is dangerous and there is a chance someone may not come back. If for some reason I don't return, I need you to lead our brothers and sisters. You may be a bit of a rebel, but they still love and respect you as they do me. I trust you to take care of them and do what is best. I also want you to know how much I care ..."

I hate it when she interrupts me like that. She tells me I don't need to worry because I'll be coming back. She says she'll keep an eye on me and that there is nothing to worry about. 

She gives me a hug and whispers in my ear, "We need to get moving." I try again to tell her, but she presses her finger to my lips and turns around and starts walking away. 

I turn my back to her and choke back a tear as my heart breaks. She didn't even give me a chance to tell her how I feel. I couldn't help but wonder if she knew and she just didn't want to hear me say it. That would make since all she'll ever see me as is her brother. If only I could make her understand. If only she'd give me a chance. Maybe it's for the best in the long run, but for some reason, I'm scared about the upcoming mission. Maybe I'm just worried about Max, or maybe it's something else. 

I do everything I can to push the fear out of my mind. I can feel myself becoming weaker. I'm attached to her and I don't know how to let go. I'm having a moment of weakness and I need to get it under control. 

I turn to walk deeper into the forest. I see an old hollow tree. A squirrel runs out of it and jumps into a hollowed out log. If only I could be free from everything. How I wish that it could all be so simple like it was back at Manticore. I was home there. I may not have liked it, but it was home. My family was together and we weren't on the run. I didn't have to worry about whether I'd fall victim to a predator in the night. If only I didn't have to continue running. I want to be free from Manticore and have the same security I did when I was there. The security of my family around me, and that can only happen with Manticore destroyed. Perhaps when Max stops focusing her energy on revenge, she will be able to see me how I want her to. She can move on; she will be able to love me in return.

I walk up to the tree and punch my fist through it. I then start kicking at the hole I just created. Slowly I'm knocking away chucks of bark. Eventually, the tree becomes off balance and starts creaking. I walk backwards away from the tree. Then I run to it as fast as I can and jump up on it pushing it to the ground. I listen to the loud snap of the roots as they break apart and the crashing of the other trees this one is bringing down with it. When the tree is finally settled on the ground and no more branches are breaking, I jump down and start back towards the group. I look back at the clearing I had created in the woods. The hollow tree would be a good place to hide from an enemy, or a good place for an enemy to hide. 

As I begin the long walk back to the meeting place, I begin to feel satisfied once again, I have my emotions under control. I'm ready to go into the heat of battle. 

Max's Perspective

When Zack pulled me aside and told me he wanted to talk, I figured he had a separate objective for me. Him saying something about keeping an eye on Kladu or even something about Tinga being in heat had crossed my mind. 

I wasn't prepared for what he had to say. When he said that he might not be coming back, I felt despair in the pit my stomach. I didn't like Zack talking like he wasn't coming back. I wasn't going to loose another friend.

It was almost like he had already made up his mind, like if he didn't fulfill the objective, he was staying until he did no matter what the consequences were. I didn't want to listen to him say more, I had an idea of what else he wanted to say, but I wasn't going to listen. I wasn't going to stick around to hear it. 

I interrupted him and I gave him a hug before I left. I told him that he was going to come back and not to talk like that. He knows I'll always back him up. I'm the closest to him out of our siblings and I won't let anything happen to him. When he tries to speak again, all I can think to do is press my finger to his lips and tell him to be silent. I can see the pain in his eyes when I don't let him speak. He was probably going to tell me exactly where I stood with him. As much as I long to hear the truth, I also fear it. If I know where he stands, then I can no longer deny it. I can no longer pretend that he is just closer to me than my other siblings. I will know will know how he feels. 

When I turn and walk away, everything inside of me is telling me to run far away and find a little corner to hide in. A corner where I can conceal all the emotions inside me and a place where I can no longer feel. I want to let go of the pain of Logan's death, and the fear of loosing Zack also. 

I ignore every emotion that is bottled up inside as I slowly continue to walk away. Another tear slides down my check as I think of what would happen if Zack was gone. I may have survived loosing Logan, but I know there is no way I could survive loosing both of them. Zack probably didn't realize how much pain he placed in my heart when he brought up the possibility of his death. I know he wouldn't have said it if it wasn't on his mind. If it's coming out of Zack's mouth, then it's always important. 

When I get back to camp, I tell everyone to get ready, "Zack is meditating, then we're going to go." At least I hope he is; he better clear his head or he isn't going to be any use to us. He'll end up hurting himself. We all sit around and talk as the sky changes from dusk to dark. I can feel the excitement in the air as we enjoy the final minutes with each other before the attack. We are a family and it will always be that way. We share each others excitement along with the fear and the hunger for revenge.

Zack shows up not to long afterwards. We all jump up ready to go. Zack goes over the plan one more time, then we are on our way. As I run through the forest in the direction of the lab, followed by my brothers and sisters, I begin to feel the excitement and anticipation in the air once again. It's finally happening! After all this time, we finally get our revenge.


	16. The Other Side

Ziya's Perspective

I stand outside the military base hidden in the forest as I wait for the action to begin. Tonight the X5 will break into the compound and attempt to blow it up. When they come out, I'll be waiting for them. My thoughts drift off to other things as I wait for the attack to begin.

Like all solders, I have to follow orders, even if I don't want to. I was tired of listening to everyone, especially Renfro. I wanted to be in charge, and Renfro was stopping that. She controlled the one thing that could stand in my way, Manticore. I recently found out about a group of X5 that had escaped and they were my key to destroying Manticore. I may have been ordered to destroy then, but I'm going to have some fun first. They were the only ones that could help me, so they get to stay alive, or at least for now. I sought them out; I wanted to know everything there was to know about them. I sent Vriel to find them and watch them. He was supposed to let me know when their was a good opportunity to attack. 

When I finally got word from him, I sent in my troops. I ordered them to bring back the X5's that Vriel had found. I went with them of course; I didn't know what to expect. Renfro warned me that they were good, but I had no clue that it would turn into this big of a fight. I wanted the X5 alive, but if we had to, we could kill them. They were only a causality of war; others like them would be found. Others who would help me.

I knew about the computer system that was set up inside the cabin thanks to Vriel. I was curious to see what was on it. I wanted one of my people to set up a connection with that computer and the system I was in control of. Once the connection was made, we could download all the files. We could see what the X5 were up to. In the end, we ended up getting the connection, but we didn't get the files. They we encoded and when we tried to break the code, we lost everything. This battle had to great of a cost, especially with the loss of my solders, my students. 

My students are good, but they were no match for the X5. One on one, they will loose every time. That was pretty much proven during the attack. I lost a bunch of my best students, and they will be hard to replace. It would be nice if I could get a few X5 to join up with me in my continuing war against Manticore, but before this can happen, I'd have to earn their trust. Vriel did a good job of getting that started, so I'm going to continue to use him to deal with the X5. 

No one knows what is truly going on except for me. I have no intention of giving Renfro any information on the X5 I have found and the information we tried to get off the computer. I'm definitely not going to check in tonight either; I want Renfro to worry about it for a bit. She thinks I'm one of her little lapdogs, but really, I'm in this for my own personal gain, and the gain of my country. There is a great war brewing in China, and by taking control of the military here, by taking control of Manticore, I can ensure victory for my side. The X5 want to destroy Manticore completely, so they are my enemy. Tonight, I'll kill two birds with one stone; that's why I gave them the blueprints for the lab. I knew they couldn't resist destroying a target that was as easy as I made it appear. Besides, they think Manticore has Jace's baby; they don't know I have her. All of the X5 that go in the building tonight will be terminated. We will shoot them down as they run for the forest. We will of course let them blow of the building. It's a small loss for Manticore, but a enormous victory for me. 

When I'm standing there ready to take out the rebel X5, I'll be the hero. I'll be in the right spot to take over Renfro's position after she has an unfortunate accident. I can take over and use the army she created to save my country. My plan is flawless there is no way I can loose. 

I'm personally overseeing the destruction of this lab, and I'll make sure the X5 goes down with it. After this is all over, I'll take Jace's baby and rename her. I'll give her a new identity and raise her as my daughter, teaching her the ways of my people. Eventually, she will take my place, and she will become the greatest leader my people have ever known.

Renfro's Perspective

I sit in my office staring blankly at my computer screen. My heart is cold with anger and hatred for those known as the X5. Their faces keep popping up in my memory. No matter how hard I try, I cannot forget them. I want the problem dealt with, and I could careless whether I got them back dead or alive, as long as I got them back. I ordered Ziya to find the X5 and bring them in. She didn't have much to do with Manticore, but I could control her easily. She had a good army of soldiers; I could tell they had been well trained. The X5 mess needed cleaned up so I could get back to work on my perfect solder, and she was the one to do it for me. 

I had finally created the perfect solder, X9-865. We haven't discovered any flaws in him yet. I was a little skeptical about the accelerated growth chamber, but we put him in it and aged him. The results were magnificent. He was only five and he was able beat Brinn in a deadly hand to hand combat after only seven minutes. I feel bad for loosing her, especially after all that time and money that went into reprogramming her, but it was necessary to see what he was capable of. X9-865 has become my pride and joy. I can still remember the look in his eyes the first time I sent him into battle. He was hungry for destruction and he had inside him the desire to kill. The moment he saw Brinn, I could tell he wasn't going to stop until she was dead. Finally, after all these years, I had accomplished what I had set out to do.

I created a new lab for the soul purpose of cloning him, my perfect soldier. I will produce mass armies of this one major accomplishment. If I haven't found the X5 after I've created a few more of these, then I will send them after Lydecker's Kids. They won't even stand a chance. I'll be able to control the people around me even more so then I already do; I'll be able to destroy Lydecker and push him out of the seat he now holds on the committee. I'll be able to take over this country and put it back in order. 

I'm brought back to reality by a knock on the door. I look up to see one of my men standing there, "What is it soldier?" I ask him. 

He tells me that Ziya hasn't checked in yet and she should have done so over an hour ago. My temper flares as I yell at him and tell him to find her. When I get done yelling he excuses himself. This annoys me even more. I wasn't done yelling at him! Ziya has always made sure she checked in on time, she usually checked in early. I should know by now whether or not her mission was a success, but instead, I know nothing. For all I know, her entire team has been wiped out and the X5 have been pushed into the open. 

This will be a good opportunity to see if my X9 can handle a mission. I'll send him after her. I call up the lab and wait as the phone rings. No one answers. Someone is supposed to be there at all times. My men wouldn't leave their posts unless, ... My mind trails off expecting the worse. They were dead; my X9 was in danger. I call up Lydecker and tell him to get his @ss over to the lab pronto. After I get off the phone with him and I'm sure he's on his way, I notify my people and get a group together to head in that direction. If Lydecker screws this one up, there is no way he's getting out of there alive. I'll kill him myself if I have to.


	17. The Compound

Tinga's Perspective

As I run through the forest I think back on what has happened today. Everything has gone by in one big blur. I remember Max tearing me away from a guy at the check point. I could have killed her at the time, but right now, I'm glad I didn't. Max once again kept me sane while I was in heat. The worst of it is over now, or at least I hope it is. I'll have to thank her later for not letting me do anything I'd regret. She has a lot more patients then the rest of us. I don't know how she does it. 

I see Max and Zack coming to a stop up ahead. We must be close to the compound. I can feel the excitement running through me, but I'm also nervous. I know what to expect, but things can always go wrong. I'll focus on my objective and carry it out with precision. As Max and Zack creep forward to get a better look at the area, the rest of us hang back and keep a look out. I scan the surrounding area looking for anything suspicious. All I see are thick trees. There is a road up ahead and I can hear the soft purr from the motor of a truck off in the distance. As the purr becomes louder, I can tell it's heading our way rather quickly. I turn back to look in the direction Max and Zack went. It fells like they are taking an eternity to look the place over. I stand impatiently with my brothers and sisters as I wait for their return. 

When they finally return they tell us where the guards are and how we are going to sneak into the compound. I thought it was going to have something to do with the approaching truck, but I wasn't sure until Zack conformed it. I'm paired up with Johndy, Jace is paired up with Kladu and Syl and Kurt will be back up. Zack signals to get ready. We wait a few more minutes then we see the truck coming down the road. Zack motions for us to jump into action. We easily take over the truck. Max grabs the driver and knocks him out, while Zack takes the other passenger. Johndy and I jump on top the back of the truck. I pull out my dagger and slice the thick layer of canvas allowing me to slide through the opening easily. Johndy follows my lead as the others go around to the back and jump in that way. It looks like the only thing in here is supplies. I open a box and find a bunch of chemicals. My attention is diverted when I hear Zack holler for Kladu. It was obvious before that Zack doesn't trust Kladu, so I'm quite surprised that he would be the one Zack asks for.

Zack tells Kladu to take the wheel and to get us through security. Kladu gets in the truck nervously as we all return to the back. I guess now we get to see how well we can trust him. I climb in and sit on one of the boxes. I wonder what could be in this one. I start to open the lid, but I stop when the others begin to file in around me. I stare at Zack as I watch him walk over to a box opposite of me and sit down. I wait to see what his next move will be, and if he has any orders to give.

Kladu turns on the truck and drives us to the gate. When the truck comes to a stop by where the gate is, I hear a security guard ask Kladu for his identification. Kladu gives him the ID card we picked up of the driver and some bogus information; he gets us through without the guard asking to many questions. I've got to have respect for the guy, I probably would have ended up getting in a fist fight rather than try and talk my way through it. I never have had the patients for that sort of thing. Kladu played his part really well. Hopefully he finally passed Zack's test so he can be trusted. This will be one hell of a mission if Zack is constantly watching to see what Kladu is going to do.

When the truck comes to a stop again, Zack motions for us all to move out. I look at Johndy; I give her a signal to follow me and we run off towards the nearest entrance. When we reach the door, I motion for Johndy to open it as I get ready to pounce on anyone that may be standing near by. Johndy picks the lock and swings the door open; their is no one there, so we proceed inside the building. We head down the hall way towards our right. We shouldn't run into to many guards if the information we got from Vriel was correct. We run down the halls looking for our destination. My heart beats with anticipation. My nerves are running wild. I can start to feel the cat DNA inside me take over as I listen for any approaching danger; anyone who is willing to put up a fight. 

Zack's Perspective

When we get just outside the lab, I take Max ahead of the others. I decided I'm not going to let her out of my sight. I'm not going to let her get caught off by herself, alone, where she could be put into danger. Max and I look over the compound and note where the guards are. There are three on the roof, maybe more. The ground level only has a few guards at the gate. Getting in should be pretty easy. I hear a truck coming in our direction. It appears to have just gotten easier. I tell Max that we will use the truck to get inside and we'll have Kladu drive it. He's the only face these people won't recognize. Max asks if I'm sure that's a good idea. I tell her that it will work. I have my doubts, but what else am I going to do. We can't just walk up to the gate and go in. If we fight, then our prescience will be detected by the guards on the roof. Once we start the attack, we have 20 minutes to get in, place the charges, find out what this lab is here for, get the baby, and get out. There isn't much room for error. 

Kladu can't be stupid enough to not help us get inside. If he's working for Manticore, he's going to want to help get us past the gate. It will be easier for them to recapture us that way. If he's working for someone else, then he's here because he wants us to succeed, either way, he'll help us this time. Besides, it will be a good test to see how well I can trust him. 

As we run back to the others, Max gets a little bit ahead of me. I take in her beauty as she runs. She has perfect form, and a perfect body. She is a work of art. Any man that can have her heart, is the luckiest man alive. Someday, when this is all over, I hope she'll be mine.

When we get back to the others, I quickly put these thought out of my mind. I'm on a mission and I can't let that distract me form the objective. We explain the plan; everyone seems to think that it will work. I forget to mention that Kladu will be the one driving. I figured that that's something they can find out later. As the truck comes closer, I get in position. I jump on the truck and grab a hold of the driver as it passes by. He swerves the truck and almost hits a tree as he tries to knock me off of him. He then slams on the breaks. I'm almost thrown off, I loose my hold on him, but I manage to stay with the truck. I quickly open the door and pull him out once the truck comes to a stop. As I pull him out, I listen for the soft snap of his neck. When I her it, I throw him to the ground. I'm not going to have to worry about him sneaking up behind me. Max takes care of the other passenger while I holler for Kladu. He comes up to me and tries to tell me something about this being a trap. I ignore what he is telling me. I know it could be a trap, and I'm not going to have him, a civilian telling me what to do. It was bad enough when I had to put up with Logan, I'm not going to put up with him. I can tell he's nervous about the mission and is probably having second thoughts. I don't blame him; after all, he's just a civilian. It's his fault he got himself into this and I'm not going to let him leave so easily. I'm counting on him right now and he better not screw up. I hand him the ID I took from the driver and told him to get us through the gate. He nodded his head and climbed in the truck. Everyone got in the back. I think they were a bit surprised that I would have Kladu do this, but I knew either way he would cooperate. He had to. When we get to the gate, I listen to make sure he does his job properly. I didn't want to have to get out of the truck and take out the guards if I didn't have to. 

Kladu got us through the gate fine and he drove us to the spot I told him about. The guards on the roof shouldn't be able to see the truck from here. There is a nice overhang on the roof. As long as they don't come all the way to the edge, we should be fine. 

I set the clock and motion for the others to move out. From this point on, we have 20 minutes. I hand Tinga and Johndy a bag of charges and take off towards the building. They enter through the nearest door after picking the lock. Jace and Kladu run towards the building and begins to circle around it in the direction away from the gate so they wont be seen. They are supposed to get Jace's baby, but I still hand them a bag of charges, The bigger the boom, the better. 

The rest of us hang back at the truck for a little bit. I'm going to let them get a head start. I pull the rest of the charges out of the van and give half of them to Syl and Kurt. They then run towards the building to set the charges in the right spots. I grab the rest of charges. Between the eight of us, we have enough charges to level this place. I look at my watch, we've got 17 minutes until the charges are set to go off. I motion for Max to follow me as we make our way to the fire exit. We're going to take care of the guards on the roof. We're going to need them gone if we want to make a clean escape. 

I climb up the ladder followed by Max. My heart is beating with fear that something will go wrong. I do the best I can to put the doubts out of my mind, but regardless of how hard I try, those thought still linger. 

When I get to the top of the ladder, I see a guard heading in this direction. I take a few steps back down, and motion to Max so she knows what is going on. I motion for her to stay put until I signal otherwise. When the guard gets to the edge of the roof, I propel myself up and fall on top of him. I quickly put my had over his mouth as I hold him down. I was going to see if I could get any information out of him on what was being done at this lab, but I see another guard walking around the corner. I don't have time to talk to him; I quickly break his neck and drag him around the corner. Max is still on the ladder waiting for me to signal her. As I hear the other guard approaching fast, I pray to the Blue Lady that just this once Max listens to me. My prayer is answered as the guard walks around the corner and I quickly grab him twisting his neck until I hear it snap. I give Max the all clear signal and she comes the rest of the way up the ladder. She joins me on the roof and takes off moving ahead of me. Neither one of us sees the third guard that was up here earlier, and we don't have time to look for him, so when we get to our mark, we decide to go inside. We quickly lift up the hatch one the roof and enter the building. 

Once we're inside the ventilation shaft, we'll be able to move easily throughout the compound. We crawl down to the small tubes inside the building. From here we have access to anything we need. We crawl down the tubes and enter one of the offices. The information we got said this was where all the documents on the lab were kept. It appears that information was right. I see all kinds of files and data inside the room. There is a computer hook up to my left. I could possibly send the files on it to our system. My attention is brought back to the objective at hand when, Max tells me she's going to look for information on what is being done here while I set the charges. If we can find out anything about what Manticore is up to, we'll have a better chance of stopping them for good. I set the charges around the office and look at my watch. We've got 13 minutes until the charges are going to go off. That leaves us another three to poke around and figure out exactly what is going on here. 

I turn to look at Max, her face goes ghost white and is filled with horror. She looks up at me and says, "Zack, you need to look at this, it's about Logan."


	18. Unhealed Wounds

Max's Perspective

I'm sitting in a truck going back to Manticore, back to the evilness of my childhood. This time it's different though. This time I'm going back to destroy that which took away my childhood, and my love. I was being the good little soldier right now. The soldier that everyone always wanted me to be, but this time I'm doing it for myself, because I want to, I have to in order to destroy Manticore. We'll beat them at their own game. This time, we'll all get out of there; we won't get caught.

I had been the good little soldier since I followed Zack through the forest, and towards the lab. We got ahead of the group and scouted out the area. When we got back, we told the others of our plan and we took over a truck that was coming our direction. We used the truck to get us through the gate. I took out my guy easily, but I still couldn't understand why Zack would trust Kladu to take the job of driving the truck. Kladu could have turned us in at the gate easily. Usually Zack won't take a chance like that. Maybe it was a test, maybe it wasn't, but with Zack there was always a reason. I just wish I could understand the way he thinks sometimes. Just when I think I know how he's going to act, he goes and changes on me. I guess it's not a bad thing, it's just not the Zack I used to know.

Once we got inside the gate, and we parked the truck, we divided into our groups. Zack handed out the charges and the attack began. The first two groups took off, as we waited for them to get there three minute head start. When it was time for us to go, I followed Zack towards the roof. My body began surge with excitement as I climbed the ladder. When Zack told me to stay put, I could have died. I wanted to get moving and get my revenge. I could barely wait on the ladder until Zack gave me the all clear. I knew he was counting on me to stay put. If he would have waited any longer, I would have been joining the fight. Once he took out the guards and gave me the signal, I climbed up on the roof. There were only two guards laying on the ground; that left us one more to find. 

I decided it was time for me to take the lead. I was already tired of following Zack around. It would be a hell of a lot easier if he let us all split up. It would be a hell of a lot faster too.

When we got to the office where we were supposed to set the charges, I started digging through files. Most of the ones I found were just on standard cloning experiments. I closed the filing cabinet and opened another one. I pulled out a file this looked like it was on the latest project. I quickly skimmed the details. Manticore will never stop trying to make the perfect soldier. I turn the page and my heart skips a beat. I look away, as I start to get light headed. The room starts to spin and I feel like I'm going to faint. I try to pull myself back together and look at the picture again. In front of me I see a picture of a child, a child whose resemblance is similar to Logan's. This can't be right. Logan is dead; he's gone. How could Manticore have ... my thought trail off to the night of Logan's death. When I woke up, Logan was gone. I never asked what happened to his body and Zack never told me. Manticore might have been able to save him. What if he wasn't really dead. I feel an overwhelming of energy come over me as I frantically begin searching through the file cabinet where I found this picture. 

I run across a file with "Eye's Only" written on it. I pull it out not sure whether I want to read what it has to say. If I open this file, I'll know the truth about what happened to Logan. I won't have to continue to guess. My mind would be at ease. I can't put the idea out of my thoughts that Logan was still alive and he was taken back here to be tortured. Somehow, I felt it would be easier to just put the file down and walk away then to re-live Logan's death, or to know he had been living in the same hell as my childhood. I manage to work up the courage to open the file. My eyes stare at the first lien of the page.   
"Time of death: 24:17:59."  
That's not long after I he paged me. He must have died right there in front of me. If only I had been a few minutes earlier. If I wouldn't have stopped to yell at the person who splashed mud on me, then I would have been there in time to save him. But at least I know he didn't die at Manticore, I can rest easier knowing he didn't have to go through the hell I did.  


I read farther down the page. I come across a line where it says Logan's body was taken back to Manticore and DNA was successfully extracted. My heart begins to beat wildly again as I flip back to the page with the picture of the boy. Logan was cloned and turned into an X9. He is Renfro's super soldier, and he is at this base. 

I look up at Zack. I can tell he concerned about me; right now my face probably shows how afraid I am, but at the same time, I have excitement running through me. I may have another chance to be with Logan. I know it won't be the same person, but it will still be Logan. I can look into his eyes and tell him that I love him. 

I lift my eyes again and I see Zack still standing there. I know he won't stand there waiting for me to long, so I quickly tell him he needs to look at what I found on Logan. Now he's the one with the look of shock on his face. As he starts to walk towards me, the look turns to pain. I show him what I've found. He seemed relieved somehow, I didn't quite understand it. I tell Zack that we need to find the clone, that we need to find Logan. Zack turns away and tells me we need to download the files on the computer then get out of here. He coldly tells me that we don't have time. My heart breaks and I turn from him. I take off running down the hall. I'm not sure where I'm going, but I'm not going to look back. I have to find Logan. I hear footsteps behind me; I assume they are Zack's as I continue running. The foot steps gaining on me. I run faster than Zack, there is no way he'd be able to catch up with me. I quickly do a flip and turn around landing in a fighting position. I look over my opponent, Zack wasn't the one who was following me. 

Tinga's Perspective

I run down the hall; my heart is beating faster and faster. I can hear Johndy's foot steps right behind me. We should be almost there if the floor plan was right. I turn the corner and run into a room full of guards. I had no idea they would be here. This was supposed to be a low security area. I scan the room and I see 23 guards. It's almost like all of them had been assembled right here so they could wait for us. It's almost like this is a trap. I try to move before they can see me, but I'm to late. Johndy and I have been spotted. The only one who could have set up this trap was Kladu; he was the only other one who knew we were coming here. I guess I was wrong about trusting him; I guess we all were, and now we're going to have to pay for it. The guards turn and point their guns at us. There is no way I'm going down without a fight. I look over at Johndy and I can tell she's thinking the same thing. For the first time today, I start to feel afraid, but the fear isn't for me, it's for my siblings. If we ran into this, then there is a good chance they did to. Johndy and I have to find a way out of this, and we've got to warn the others. I guess it's time for us to start kickin some @ss; the sooner we deal with this the better. 

I throw down the bag of charges as I take off running towards the nearest wall. I jump up on it as I do a flip. Bullets skim each side of me and embed themselves in the wall as I try desperately to avoid them. As soon as I get into reach of the guard closest to me, I kick the gun out of his hand; it goes sprawling to the floor and slides to the other side of the room where Johndy is in the heat of her own battle. Everywhere I look there are guards attacking one of us or standing by waiting for a clear shot, and a clear shot is exactly what I'm not going to give them. 

A guard comes up from behind me and kicks me in the back. I fall to the floor as another guard tries to punch me. I pull out the dagger I have in my boot. As I stand back up, I lunge towards the closest guard. I slit open his stomach as I move by him. He clenches the wound with his hands as he collapses in pain. I move on to another target. As one of the other guards tries to punch me, I catch his arm and throw him into an attacker coming from behind. I kick another guard in the head sending him crashing into a few others. I turn around to see a figure jumping in my direction. I duck out of his way and slice his throat staining my blade with his warm blood. 

My attention is diverted to a phone ringing in the background. I see a guard making his way to the office. That must be where the phone is; I'm going to check it out after the fight is over. I watch him as he unlocks the door; then, before he has a chance to open it, I throw my dagger at him landing it in the back of his neck. He falls to the floor lifelessly with his blood streaking the ground around him.

I look down at my watch, we've got 11 minutes to set the charges and get out of here. We don't have time to deal with all of this. If we don't get this fight over with soon, then we aren't going to make it back. 

I crouch down on the floor and pull the other dagger from my boot. It's time to clean up this mess. I jump up in the air kicking one guard in the chest. As I land, I slice the back of another ones neck. I continue my attack as guard after guard falls lifeless to the floor. Their bodies keep piling up; their blood keeps spilling, but they keep coming after me; they keep coming out of no where. No matter how many I kill, it seems like I'm not making a difference. At this rate, I'm not going to make it out of here; I'm not going to be able to save myself, or any of my siblings. 

Just when I think it can't get any worse, it does. In the middle of an attack, a bullet hits me in the thigh. I fall to the floor and cry out in pain as I begin to feel the trickle of blood going down my leg.


	19. Clone

Zack's Perspective

When Max tells me she found something on Logan, the first thing I think of is that he's somehow alive. Any chance I had of her loving me suddenly disappeared. She'd want to go after him, especially if he's here, on this base. I know she wouldn't leave him to die in the flames we'd be creating. If something happens to him again, she'd re-live his death. This time I might not be able to stop her from breaking down. Even if we did find him, she'd live with the guilt of not knowing he was alive. She'd blame me for telling her he was dead. She'd never forgive me, and say I had been misleading her on purpose. Just like she did the morning I found her. I'd never be able to earn her trust back; I wouldn't even be a brother to her anymore. I'd loose everything.

I didn't want to look at the file, but I felt compelled to do so. It would be easier to walk away and pretend none of this was happening, but I needed to be here for her. Even if she wouldn't love me, I still needed to be her brother; I can't abandon her. If she walks away from me, that's her choice; her decision. 

I slowly walk towards her as I feel the pain of jealousy building in my heart. I can take on an army of soldiers, but for some reason, I fear having to look at this file, and see how it will change my life. I work up the courage to take the file from her hand. I look at the first line, "Deceased". I breathe a sigh of relief knowing Logan truly did die the night Manticore took his body away. I know I shouldn't be relieved that he's dead, I should be disappointed because he's not alive, but I can't bring myself to that level. The thought that Logan might take away Max from me again was almost to much to bare. As I read down the file further, I see that DNA had been taken from Logan; I flip back to the opening page and see a boy staring back at me with the same eyes I've grown to hate; the same eyes Logan had. I stare at the picture not wanting to comprehend what I saw before me. I faced my own clone, but facing Logan's was something different. Logan had represented everything I could never have, and this clone has taken his place. 

My attentions is drawn back to Max as she tells me that she's got to go after the clone, that's she's got to save Logan. I turn away from her furious at the thought she would let her emotions get in her way. She truly is trying to turn him into Logan. Even if he is so much younger than her, he will once again steal her heart away from me. For all I know, he might have already. I tell her there is no time and we have to download the stuff off of the computer. I remind myself that this boy is a trained soldier, he isn't the innocent computer hacker Logan was. I set the file down on the desk expecting her to be right behind me; instead, I hear the door open and footsteps run down the hall away from me. As I pick up the file, not wanting to leave with out it, a piece of paper falls to the floor. I pick it up and go to stuff it into the folder when something catches my eye. 

"First hand to hand combat mission: Against X5-734(Brinn): Target was destroyed after 7 minutes and 3 seconds."

The target was Brinn. After all this time of wondering what had happened to her, I finally know. I lost another sister to this horrible place. Brinn is another victim of Manticore. They used her to test a science experiment; they wasted her life; they killed her. No! Logan's clone killed her; the clone Max wants to try and save. 

I push my thoughts of Brinn out of my mind. Right now, I need to worry about Max. If this Logan clone killed Brinn, he'll kill Max too. I have to make sure she doesn't run into him. I have to find her before he does. I stuff the file in my jacket and take off running down the hall in the same direction Max went, somehow I have to make her believe me. This clone isn't what he seems; this file is proof enough. My heart is racing as I worry about her safety. It seems to take an eternity to run to the end of hall. My feet feel like lead. They seem to move slower and slower. When I finally go around the corner, I see Max in the distance. I feel like I have been stabbed in the heart with a knife. I'm to late!

Max's Perspective

When I turn around, standing before me is a boy. He can't be older than five. I look into his eyes and feel compassion towards him. His eyes are the same as a man I once loved. 

As he walks towards me, I speak to him, "Logan, I love you." 

The boy starts to laugh, "You must be Max. They told me what they did to you. They told me I'm your true love."

I ignore him laughing and I ask him, "Then you know how much I want to help you get out of here?"

I feel my heart race as he searches my eyes, but it doesn't beat with the same excitement as it did with Logan; it's different with him. He tells me he knows how much I loved Logan and how I was willing to sacrifice myself to save him, just as Zack had been willing to do for me. It's almost like he knows everything about me. I search his eyes not sure if I'm seeing compassion in them, or if it's just something I made up to make myself feel better. I want desperately for him to love me, to run towards me and put his arms around my neck.

I begin to hear foot steps coming down the hall, I tell him we have to get out of here. I didn't want to get caught. This Logan was Manticore's new prize procession and they'd do anything to stop me from taking him. Just as I'm about ready to take off running again, but this time he'll be behind me, he speaks to me.

He tells me, "I love you Max and I want to be with you forever."

I turn and face him as a tear runs down my cheek. I kneel down in front of him and allow him to run towards my arms. I embrace him the way a mother would a child. I cry, for this is the child I would have wanted. I can never love his as I did Logan and I know this now, but I can raise him as my son. I stay there with him, holding him in a tight embrace, until the footsteps round the corner. 

I look up and see Zack standing in front of me. He looks like he has seen a ghost. I can tell he's upset, but I don't understand why. This boy will become a part of our family; he'll be one of us. 

He begins to pull away from me. I let him go knowing I'm going to have to face Zack. I ignore the boy as I give Zack all my attention. I turn and look into his eyes; I see pain in them. He looks at me like I have some how betrayed him. Another tear drips down my check, but this time it's for Zack; he just doesn't know it. I never wanted to hurt him, I just thought this would be another chance to allow a part of Logan to live on. 

Zack's Perspective

Max has broken my heart, but this time I feel no jealousy, only pain. She disobeyed an order to have a chance at getting Logan back. No wonder she wouldn't allow me to tell her I love her. She would do anything to get him back, even if that means taking his clone. 

I look in her eyes and search her feelings; I see her pain. She knows she has hurt me deeply and this time I don't try and hide it from her. I can't; I love her. She has the right to know the truth; I was just to scared to make her listen. As the clone steps away from her, I ignore what ever it is he's doing. For a moment I forget he is my enemy. All of my attentions is on Max. I just stare at her, the beautiful women in front of me. Trying not to break down any more than I have already, I choke back a tear that is aching to come out. Before I can say anything to her, I hear a loud bang.

Somewhere, a gun had been fired. It must have been the clone; there is no one else here that would have a desire to kill me. I can sense a bullet moving towards me. I try to stay put even though I know it will strike my body. No pain is greater than that of a broken heart. I understand now how Max felt when Logan was killed before her very eyes. She would have rather died than deal with the pain her soul was feeling. I can't go on like this; I can't continue to love Max knowing she will never be able to love me the way I love her. 

I watch her eyes, they mesmerize me with their dark beauty. When she hears the gun go off and she knows the bullet is going to strike me, she reacts. She attacks Logan's clone. Feeling as though a terrible misfortune has been released from my heart and not all hope is lost, I try to move out of the way. I push myself towards the floor, but I'm to late. I feel the bullet enter my body and exit again. I fall to the floor and look up at Max and the clone. I try to stay conscious. I have to help her, but my body is becoming weak. I don't want her to have the same fate as Brinn. I try to sit up, but I'm to weak to do so. I feel my head start to spin, my body starts going numb, and everything fades to black. 


	20. Time Stands Still

Tinga's Perspective

I sit on the floor looking at the guards as they circle around me. I guess I don't look like as much of a threat now. I could use this to my advantage. I look over to where Johndy is and somehow they were able to hold her down. There was six guys pinning her to the floor. The bag of charges is still against the wall where it was thrown. Knowing there can't be much time left, I try to evaluate the situation. 

Even if we could leave the bag where it was and get out of here, which seemed highly unlikely, the blast would still do enough damage to this place to accomplish our mission. I look over at Johndy apologetically. This had been a trap, and we fell for it. 

I'm going to get her out of here if I can. There is no sense in both of us dieing here today. I'll distract the guards, and get them off of her while she makes a run for it. I just hope it works.

Kladu's Perspective

We run down the halls to where the baby is supposed to be. I know she's not going to be there; Jace is going to want to search the place until she finds her. I know Jace won't leave with out her baby, but I don't know how to tell her about my past, about how I knew the baby wouldn't be in that room. Jace trusted me with who she was, and I didn't return her trust. As she picks the lock to the room, I wait, scared and afraid of how she will view me once she realizes the truth. 

When she opens the door, I can see in her eyes how bad she is hurting when she realizes we've been tricked. She attacks a tank in the middle of the room and sends it crashing to the floor. 

I walk up behind her and tell her, "Your baby isn't here Jace, but I know where she is."  
Jace looks at me with confusion and fear, "Where is my baby?" she asks. 

I tell her everything about the Fabunni and my past. It doesn't matter if she believes me or not at this point. All that matters is that we blow the place up and get out of here safely. I can tell she's upset and she doesn't believe me. She turns and breaks another tank. She sends her fist through the side of it. She jumps out of the way as all the water inside comes gushing out. She moves quick enough that she doesn't get herself wet. I step out of the way barely avoiding the spray. 

With out looking back, she asks me why I was here if I was one of them. 

I answer, "Because I love you." I didn't mean to say it; it just sort of slipped out. I turned away from her and started setting the charges. Did I really love her? Was that really the reason why I couldn't complete my mission and why I had the tattoo removed? I tried to tell myself that it couldn't be true, but I could feel my heart aching with pain. I pushed the emotion out of my mind. Now wasn't the time to be having this conversation with her, even if it is true, which I'm sure it's not. Right now, I'm going to get her out of here, then I'm going to help her get her baby back; I don't want to see her hurting like this. 

I turn to her and say, "I know where your baby is, and we can save her. You have to trust me. I may have been one of them, but when I met you and your child, things changed. I couldn't hurt you; I failed my mission and vowed to never return. I removed my tattoo so I would never again feel obligated to listen to the orders Ziya gave me. Let's set the charges and get out of here."  
Jace nods her head and takes the charges out of the bag. I can tell she's upset, but I can also sense an understanding in her. She knows what it's like to want out. She escaped; and hopefully, I will be able to also. The Fabunni know I betrayed them, and after all this is over, if I make it out alive, they will come after me. I'll be the next target on their hit list. For some reason, this doesn't bother me. I gave my whole life to them, and finally I'm realizing the freedom I can have. I don't need them to survive; I need a family, and Jace's siblings seemed like they would be willing to adopt me.

After we set the charges, we leave the room and begin to trace our path back to the entrance. I hear someone cry out in pain. I look at Jace and see her tense up. She runs down the hall followed by me. She's much faster than I am, and I do my best to stay with her, but eventually she out runs me. When I finally catch up, I see her around the corner looking down into another room. I stop and catch my breath. My heart is racing; I don't know why. It's either because I'm out of breath, or I'm still running on adrenalin from telling Jace I love her. I tried to shake it from my head, but for some reason, I realized it was true; I was just afraid of what would happen. 

Jace looks back at me, and I can tell she's in distress. She motions for me to come to her. I slowly creep up to the edge of the balcony. Before me I see at least thirty soldiers dead and a whole lot more in the surrounding area, not to mention the ones holding Johndy down. Tinga is injured and nursing her leg which appears to have been shot. This must have been what Jace was upset about. Both her sisters were in trouble, and we only have six minutes to get out of here. We're cutting it entirely to close. 

Just when I'm about to tell Jace my plan, I hear guns firing. Syl and Kurt have shown up to help us out. I breathe a sigh of relief knowing they have taken out a large number of the guards. Johndy has been released off the floor and Tinga is up fighting again. Jace and I jump down off the balcony. I land hard, but I'm not injured. I pull out my sword and face my first opponent. He rushes at me like a savage running into battle. I duck out of his way cut his head off with my razor sharp blade. With it dripping in blood, I use it to cut the hand off a guard who is trying to shoot Tinga. He cries out in pain as he tries grab his now invisible hand. The guards attack me prepared to die, and I'm going to make sure they do just that. One comes up from behind me. I make a cut into his chest causing him to fall forward onto my sword. In response, my sword sliced through his body cutting him into two. 

I could have stayed and fought the guards all night, taking one life after another, but when Jace came up to me, I knew it was time to go. The explosives would be gong off soon, and if we didn't hurry up, we'd be caught in the explosion. As we take off running down the hall, I ask Jace, "Where is Max and Zack?"

Tinga's Perspective

Syl and Kurt couldn't have come at a better time. Just when I thought I would die trying to escape, they show up and help us out along with Jace and Kladu. When I see Kladu jump down, I try to work my way over to him. All of a sudden, my anger is directed towards him. I walk in his direction killing guard after guard. As I do so, everything is focused on Kladu. He's going to pay for what he did. I know Kurt gave the order for us to get out of here, but I wasn't going to leave with out killing Kladu first. Just as I'm about ready to attack, Jace goes up towards him and tells him we have to get moving. After all that has happened, she still doesn't know, or doesn't believe he is a traitor. Jace looks up at me and I can see in her eyes she cares for him. Her eyes plead with me to let this go for now. Maybe she knows something I don't. Either way, I'll find out what is really going on. 

I follow her out of the room and down the hall. We should have seen Max and Zack by now. They were supposed to meet up with us somewhere around here. I don't worry to much thinking they might have gone ahead to the car, but when Kladu says something, my heart stops. What if they ran into the same thing we did?

Max's Perspective

When I hear the sound of a gun firing, I know immediately it was Logan's clone, and he was shooting at Zack. I couldn't let him kill Zack; Zack is my brother, my friend. I race towards Logan's clone with furry and anger. I try to knock the gun out of his head, but it is no use. He's to quick, he's faster than me. I hit nothing but air. He puts the gun back in his jacket as he strikes back at me with his fist, I barely duck out of the way and block him. Then he jumps into the air and kicks me. I was able to block him, but I still go flying away. The force he uses to attack is unlike anything I have ever fought against. I land hard on top of Zack. My stomach clenches in fear. 

Even when I was fighting the Red's I was not this scared. Logan's clone starts to walk over towards me as he pulls out his gun one more time. I quickly roll over behind Zack and use his body to shield me for the time being. I didn't want Logan's clone to see when I was going to attack. As I get into position, I feel Zack's gun sitting on the floor in front of me. I stare up at my new enemy who is slowly approaching. Zack begins to mumble something. I try to as I breathe a sigh of relief knowing he is still alive, but my enemy hears him. He pulls out his gun and turns off the safety as he points it low. My heart stops when I realize if he pulls the trigger now, it will hit Zack in the head killing him for sure. I have to do something; I can't let Zack die like this. Slowly and instinctively, I reach to grab the gun in front of me.

The clone says, "Die! Traitor!" 

He moves to shoot the gun. I pull up Zack's gun and fire. 

Logan's clone drops to the ground in front of me as the bullet enters his brain and steals his life. Still in shock for what I did, I throw Zack's gun to the side of the hall way. When Eva was killed, I vowed never to touch a gun for the rest of my life. Now, I just killed the only part of Logan that was still alive, and worse yet, I did it with the thing I hate most. 

I pull Zack towards me as I cry. I'm not sure whether I'm crying for killing Logan's clone, or almost loosing Zack; maybe it's a little bit of both. 

I look into Zack's eyes and see the love in them that I never could before. Zack goes to speak to me; I try to stop him, but this time he doesn't listen, and I give in knowing I'm the reason he almost died tonight. 

"You chose me over Logan Max? I didn't think you would ever do that." he said, "Maxie, I love you."

Those words stuck in my mind, "I love you." Did he really mean it, or was he just having an emotional breakdown. As my eyes searched his for the answers I wanted, I continued to cry inside. If what he is saying is true, and he has no reason to lie, all this time, there was a man who loved me, a man who I continually hurt because I wouldn't let go of the past. I had been blind, and tonight I almost lost him. 

Zack's Perspective

I couldn't believe Max chose me over Logan's clone. I felt an overwhelming amount of love towards her. I search her eyes for any sign that she may love me too. I see fear in her eyes; it's not fear for loosing me, it's fear for not excepting the truth. I stop crying inside knowing she understands. For one moment, I won her heart. If only this moment could last a life time. 

The desire I have to kiss her becomes to much to bare. I try to sit up so I can pull her towards me. To feel her lips on mine just once would make all this pain worth it. Knowing that in the end, her heart belongs to no one but me. The room starts to spin. I don't have the strength to move. I look at her lips and her eyes allowing my last moments of life to be with her perfection.

Max's Perspective

Another tear slowly drips down the side of my cheek as I whisper to Zack, "You've continually risked your life for me, and I would never allow myself to understand why until now. I'm sorry I didn't listen; I was afraid to let go. I didn't want to get hurt again; I didn't want to fall in love."

I look into Zack's understanding eyes as he starts to slip into another world. I can tell he loves me, and he always will.

He strains to tell me, "You have to get out of here; you have to take care of our siblings. Leave me behind and go."

I don't try any longer to choke back my tears, I just begin sobbing to him.

"I can't leave you. You're going to get up now, and we'll get you out of here." I cry to him.

He simply whispers back, "You don't have time to carry me out of here. Leave now and remember. I love you Max!"

Zack's Perspective

She didn't tell me she loves me, but I can tell she does. She's not holding back her emotions. I want her to take me out of here, I don't want to be left behind, but I know it's the only way she'll make it out in time. Besides, I don't want her to die, I want her to live her life and enjoy it. Even if she does get me out of here, I'm dying, I won't be able to stay with her. I won't be able to fulfill her desires. 

All that matters it that I know she loves me in return. I tell her one last time I love her knowing I'm slipping into another world. 

I had no idea emotions could be so powerful. They aren't are weakness, they're are strength.

Max's Perspective

I watch him close his eyes and go limp as the life-force leaves his body. 

I cry out "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

I pull him closer and start to cry harder. I start to realize who Zack really is to me. He's always been more than a brother, he's always been more than a friend. We had bonded at a level few could reach. I know it wasn't the same with him as it was with Logan, but the love was there. Zack wasn't my soul mate, but he was someone whom I could have loved. I blink as a stream of tears fall down my face. I pull Zack closer to me hugging him, praying to the blue lady that somehow he would come back to life. Once again, I didn't realize how much I loved a person until it was to late. I reached down to kiss him knowing I didn't have much time left. My lips touched his, unresponding, lifeless body. If only I could have had one real kiss. 

I hear movement and look up to see a bunch guards in front of me. I don't even try to move as one of them pulls the trigger. I just reach out to Zack and give him one last hug. 


End file.
